Alan Petzet
OGJ Chief Editor-Exploration
HOUSTON, Sept. 9 -- ATP Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, said the No. 3 well at its Mirage field on Mississippi Canyon Block 941 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico found thicker than expected sands and logged hydrocarbon-bearing sands that weren’t present in the original wells.
Mirage, Morgus, and Telemark in the Atwater Valley and Mississippi Canyon areas are the three Telemark Hub fields that ATP plans to tie back to the ATP Titan drilling and production platform in MC 941.
ATP calls the Titan floating vessel, to be installed in October, a minimum deepwater operating concept. It has a production capacity of 25,000 b/d of oil and 50 MMcfd of gas (OGJ Online, May 12, 2009).
The MC 941-3 well, in 4,000 ft of water, logged more than 250 ft of net oil and gas pay, more than double predrill estimates. ATP set 7-5/8-in. casing at 17,089 ft measured depth through the pay intervals.
Eight previously drilled wells had encountered 16 hydrocarbon-bearing sands, ATP said. Well depths are 20,000-24,000 ft at Telemark, where no oil-water contact was found, and 14,000-18,000 ft at Morgus and Mirage.
ATP previously tallied the project’s proved and probable reserves at 42 million boe, 76% oil. The additional pay sands should lead to higher production and reserve estimates greater than currently booked, the company said. Production start is set for late 2009 or early 2010.
ATP is Telemark Hub project operator with 100% interest. ATP had invested $1 billion through June, including $554 million in the Titan, and expected to incur $500-600 million in further capital outlays through yearend 2010.
ATP’s vendors have agreed to absorb 45-55% of project capex in exchange for a limited net profits interest.
The Titan will feed a 20-mile, 10-in. oil pipeline to the Shell Mars oil system on MC 718 and a 62-mile, 20-in. gas pipeline to the Discovery gas system in Grand Isle 115. The pipelines have been installed.
Contact Alan Petzet at [email protected].
Photo from Equinor | Stuart Conway.
