The 44/23-1 Dunquin North exploratory well offshore Ireland is a dry hole that encountered indications of oil and the presence of gas in the upper 144-ft section of an 800-ft thick reservoir, the first oil indications seen in the South Porcupine basin offshore Ireland, said Providence Resources PLC.
The ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Ireland-operated well went to a total depth of 16,400 ft in 1,700 m of water on the FEL 3/04 license. Preliminary interpretation indicates the thick, overpressured Lower Cretaceous carbonate reservoir to be water-bearing with evidence that hydrocarbons may have leaked following entrapment.
All key components of a working petroleum system are present, including reservoir, seal, source, hydrocarbon migration, and entrapment, Providence Resources said.
The well was the first well to be drilled in a 100 sq km area, and no further information is to be released due to the proprietary nature of the well data, the company added. However, it said the separate Dunquin South build-up “appears to have a thicker seal and lacks the significant fluid escape features seen further to the north.”
License interests are ExxonMobil 25.5%. Eni Ireland BV 27.5%, Repsol Exploracion Irlanda SA 25%, Providence Resources 16%, Atlantic Petroleum (Ireland) Ltd. 4%, and Sosina Exploration Ltd. 2%.
Providence noted that South Porcupine is the second of six basins to be drilled off Ireland as part of its multiwell program and that both wells have encountered hydrocarbons. The program has greatly increased industry interest in Ireland with five new entrants in the last 3 months including Cairn Energy, Eni, Statoil, Repsol, and Shell.