Azerbaijan
Sooner International Petroleum Co., Oklahoma City, pulled out of the sluggish Southwest Gobustan oil and gas venture, blaming financial woes, Interfax reported.
Commonwealth Oil & Gas Co. Ltd., a unit of A&B Geoscience Corp., plans to proceed with the project. It holds 80% of the project and SOCAR holds the rest. The venture aims to reactivate wells on nine structures and explore six undrilled structures on three blocks covering 604 sq km 60 km southwest of Baku (OGJ, June 26, 2000, p. 39).
Congo (former Zaire)
Perenco acquired Shell’s onshore upstream interests.
Perenco was already operator of the onshore area, comprising Tschiende, Liawenda, Kinkasi, Makelekese, and Muanda fields, following its acquisition in 2000 of TotalFinaElf’s interests. State oil company Cohydro and Perenco are now the sole participants in this area.
Perenco’s gross production in the country is 7,000 b/d. Planned capital expenditure this year should greatly increase production by yearend.
Norway
Norsk Hydro AS’s net production in mid-April averaged 509,000 b/d of oil equivalent, 19% higher than the 2001 average. The company produces hydrocarbons in Norway, Russia, Libya, Angola, and Canada.
Acquisition of State’s Direct Financial Interest shares contributed to the increase (OGJ, Apr. 8, 2002, p. 36). The company targets a 5% year to year production increase.
Hydro operates 15 oil and gas installations on 12 offshore fields with combined gross production of more than 1.3 million bdoe
Pakistan
The government awarded Oil & Gas Development Co. and Government Holdings Pvt. Ltd. exploration licenses to the 1,366 sq km Khajuri block in Balochistan province and the 980 sq km Nashpa block in Punjab/North West Frontier Province.
OGDC is operator with 95% interest. The firms will spend $18.69 million on Nashpa and $2.6 million on Khajuri. Initial term work consists of seismic acquisition and processing.
OGDC will drill two wells on Nashpa to 4,500 m or 50 m into the Jurassic Datta formation and one optional exploratory well on Khajuri to 1,500 m or into the Cretaceous Parh formation.
Quebec
The government issued four exploration permits totaling 73,574 ha in central Gaspe to Ditem Explorations Inc., Montreal.
Raw seismic data gathered by the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources indicate large geologic structures on Ditem’s permits in a lightly explored Siluro-Devonian basin, the company said. Ditem also holds 211,028 ha in the southwestern St. Lawrence Lowlands.
New Mexico
Mallon Resources Corp., Denver, and Smart Exploration Inc., Tulsa, agreed to form a joint venture to explore and develop Cretaceous Fruitland coal seams on Mallon’s East Blanco prospect in the San Juan basin.
If finalized, the agreement will require Smart to drill a horizontal six-well pilot to earn a 50% interest in the venture. Smart, which formerly developed Arkoma basin CBM properties, said it will apply proprietary horizontal drilling and completion techniques. Mallon will commit 58,000 acres to the project (OGJ, July 16, 2001, p. 44).
Oklahoma
Williams Cos., Tulsa, disclosed that it acquired Mannix Oil Co. Inc., Tulsa, late in the third quarter of 2001. Mannix was a developer of coalbed methane and had a large leasehold in the Arkoma basin in Oklahoma.
The acquisition was Williams’ entry into the Arkoma, where it drilled 15 wells in fourth quarter 2001, boosting yearend production to 6 MMcfd of gas.
