Angola
Roc Oil Co. Ltd., Sydney, said it hopes to begin exploration on the 267,000-acre South Cabinda onshore block within 12-18 months.
Roc Oil operates the block with 60% interest since approval in late August of its acquisition of a 15% interest from Lacula Oil Co. Ltd.
Force Petroleum, a private firm, and Sonangol hold 20% each.
The block, in the Lower Congo basin, is believed prospective in structural trends thought to extend onshore from several of the large nearshore oil fields on ChevronTexaco-operated Block 0.
Roc Oil acquired 45% interest from Total of France in late 2001, and the block has not been explored since the 1960s.
A production-sharing agreement is worked out and will take effect when all parties decide it is appropriate that exploration proceed. Meantime, Roc will review technical data and conduct geologic studies.
New Zealand
The energy ministry awarded two offshore permits in the nonproducing Canterbury basin under the government's most recent tender.
Tap (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Perth, and AWE New Zealand Pty. Ltd., Sydney, were awarded the 6,647 sq km PEP 38259 in the southern part of the basin off Otago.
The work program provides for reprocessing 1,500 km of seismic data, reservoir characterization, and geochemical studies with special emphasis on the Galleon South and Barque prospects. A well is planned in the third year.
Indo-Pacific Energy (NZ) Ltd., Wellington, NZ, and Durum Energy (New Zealand) Ltd., a subsidiary of TAG Oil Ltd., Vancouver, BC, won the 10,950 sq km PEP 38258 from south of Timaru to south of Christchurch. The permit is mostly offshore.
Indo-Pacific has an interest in adjoining onshore Canterbury permit PEP 38256.
The company's work program involves the compilation and evaluation of maturation and source rock data, the determination of a hydrocarbon charge model, basin modeling of oil expulsion efficiencies and migration modeling, reprocessing 250 km of seismic data, remapping of stratigraphic and structural traps along the Clipper subbasin, with possible acquisition of 3D seismic data and a well inside 4 years.
Philippines
Forum Energy Corp., Calgary, said it will explore the 1.18 million acre Service Contract 43, also known as the Manila Bay-West Central Luzon block.
Forum will acquire 250 km of high-resolution 2D seismic data offshore this fall and might drill a well shortly thereafter.
Prospects A and B are estimated to contain at least 700 bcf of gas in 75 ft of water.
Main target in Manila Bay, at the southern end of the Central Luzon trough, is the Malo-Pungatan formation of the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene age. The Manila Bay-1, Manila Bay-1AST and redrill wells confirmed the presence of gas in the platform carbonates (OGJ, May 20, 1996, p. 90).
Turkey
Omax Resources Ltd., Vancouver, BC, and partner Krystal Group will run a long-term test and develop an appraisal program for an apparent gas-condensate discovery in the Iskenderun basin.
Yesiltepe-1, 73 km east of Adana and near the Dortoyl crude oil handling terminal, flowed at rates of 2.6-3.2 MMcfd of gas on 4-hr tests with 748 psi and 635 psi pressures, respectively, from Upper Miocene sands at 1,157-63 m. The gas is rich in condensate.
Amity Oil International Pty. Ltd., Perth, Australia, decided that the gas zone is not material to the company but still operates the surrounding 570,000-acre exploration block, on which at least seven other seismically mapped structures have been identified.
Omax previously characterized the prospect as a high-relief anticline in Miocene age sediments similar to those at Amity's Gocerler gas field in the Thrace basin of northwestern Turkey.
Alberta
Quicksilver Resources Inc., Fort Worth, said it in the planning stage of a coalbed methane development to be on stream in the first quarter of 2004 in central Alberta.
A 50-50 joint venture, formed last winter, between Quicksilver's MGV Energy Inc. unit and Ice Energy Ltd. has drilled ten pilot wells and re-completed nine. The joint venture targets CBM and conventional gas formations on 87,000 gross acres.
British Columbia
EnCana Oil & Gas Co. Ltd., Calgary, and the Canadian unit of Burlington Resources Inc., Houston, and the Ministry of Energy & Mines forged an agreement under which the companies will explore for gas in black shales of Mississippian-Devonian age in the Maxhamish Lake area.
The ministry administratively extended expiring licenses for 5 years with respect to the Lower Banff-Exshaw-Upper Kotcho zones on 240,000 acres south of Fort Liard, NWT, in return for the companies performing specified field work.
The agreement came in response to a ministry announcement on Sept. 10, 2002, that it hoped to attract $24 billion in investment by 2010 in the development of deep, unconventional, and frontier sources of gas.
Black shales, where thermally mature, are economically important as hydrocarbon source rocks. Other examples of similar age include the Michigan basin Antrim shale, the Illinois basin New Albany shale, the Williston basin Lower and Upper Bakken formation, the Anadarko basin Woodford formation, and Appalachian basin "Devonian" shales (OGJ, Dec. 3, 1990, p. 73).
Quebec
Corridor Resources Inc., Halifax, NS, and Hydro-Quebec agreed to join forces to evaluate the oil and gas potential of the Old Harry and Cape Ray prospects in the Laurentian Channel and to enable exploration drilling in the Quebec sector of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Hydro-Quebec, which launched a multiyear, $330 million exploration effort earlier this year, agreed to pay Corridor $500,000 for an option to earn a minimum 18.75% working interest in farmout lands that cover the two prospects (OGJ, Sept. 28, 1998, p. 107).
Corridor will provide Hydro-Quebec with access to modern seismic and reprocessed older seismic data related to the farmout lands.
Farmout terms will be finalized when an agreeement is reached with one or more other participants, one of whom will assume operatorship from Corridor.
The two companies will pursue all needed approvals for Corridor to drill an exploratory well on the Quebec side of the Old Harry Prospect, which extends into Newfoundland waters. Corridor is seeking federal licenses coincident with the Quebec Old Harry licenses.