France
Heritage Petroleum PLC, Monaco, has been awarded three coalbed methane permits in depleted coal fields in France.
The government identified the areas as Bleue Lorraine in northeastern France, Gaz de Saint Etienne in central eastern France, and Gaz de Gardanne in southeastern France.
Guinea Bissau
Premier Oil PLC, London, declared its Sinapa-2, 2ST well in the Atlantic an oil discovery that proves the validity of a salt diapir play and said it is too early to determine commerciality.
Premier anticipates acquiring 3D seismic data followed by exploration and appraisal drilling.
Sinapa-2 went to TD 3,657 m and penetrated a thick Albian sequence at 3,131-3,657 m (OGJ Online, Mar. 19, 2004). About 25% of the 90 m thick upper sand unit contains low quality oil-bearing sandstones. Below a middle mudstone, the lower sand unit exceeds 250 m in thickness with better quality sandstones that are water bearing at this location.
A sidetrack penetrated a 326-m thick Albian sequence up dip at 2,924-3,250 m. The Albian at this location consisted of a 34-m thick upper unit, 60% oil bearing, a middle mudstone, and a more than 150-m thick, water bearing lower sand.
Initial tests indicated the oil to be 35° gravity.
Morocco
Norsk Hydro ASA, Oslo, plans to evaluate the 6,542 sq km Northwest Safi area in the Atlantic.
Northwest Safi, south of a block held by Petroliam Nasional Bhd. of Malaysia and north of a block held by Vanco Energy Co., Houston, is in 300-3,000 m of water.
The 12-month reconnaissance contract calls for geologic studies, seismic reprocessing, and collation of 2D seismic data. Hydro has the option to convert to an exploration contract later.
Three to four deepwater wells are to be drilled off northwest Africa in the coming year, the company said.
Block interests are Hydro 65% and Global Resource Holdings LLP, Denver, 35%.
Russia
OAO Novatek, Moscow, said 2003 gross gas production for the Novatek Group rose more than 43% to 20.33 billion cu m and gross oil and condensate production was up 33.7% to 2.34 million tons.
The company sells most of its gas in the Samara, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, and Perm regions. The gains came from addition of new wells and startup of commercial production from Yurkharovskoye and Khancheiskoye fields.
Novatek, one of Russia's largest independent gas producers, plans $260 million in capital spending in 2004. Main items are construction of the Purovsky condensate processing plant, continued development of Yurkharovskoye field, and a biaxially oriented polypropylene film plant at Novokuibishevsk.
The firm plans to hike gas production to 27 bcm this year and 50 bcm, or 7% of Russia's gas output, by 2010.
Novatek reported 1.5 trillion cu m in ABC1+C2 recoverable reserves. Its largest fields are Yurkharovskoye, East-Tarkosalinskoye, and Khancheiskoye, all in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, which accounts for 90% of Russian gas production.
The company controls and has equity stakes in several exploration and production companies. They are OOO Yurkharovneftegas, OAO NK Tarkosaleneftegas, OOO Khancheyneftegas, OAO Purneftegasgeology, OOO Geoilbent, OAO Selkupneftegas, and OAO Tambeineftegas.
Montana
Altamont Oil & Gas Inc., private Montana operator, and others plan to further develop Lake Francis gas field in eastern Pondera County on the Sweetgrass arch.
QMAC Energy Inc., Spokane, plans to drill an infill well in May and may drill 5 other wells on a farmout from Altamont 9 miles northwest of Conrad, Mont. The state recently downspaced Lake Francis field to 160 acres from 640 acres.
QMAC owns 25% interest in two producing wells in the field that have proved reserves of 418 MMcf each. The wells cut multiple pay zones, including the Cretaceous Fourth Bow Island reservoir.
The discovery well had gas in Fourth Bow Island sandstone at 2,000 ft, First Bow Island sandstone at 1,441 ft, and Cretaceous Colorado shale at 602 ft.
Altamont owns the gathering and production facilities in Lake Francis and Williams gas fields and is the county's largest lease holder.
Oklahoma
Apache Corp., Houston, plans to drill 88 wells in the Anadarko basin in 2004, exceeding the company's drilling pace of 10 years ago.
The company is the largest acreage holder in the Anadarko basin.
The company's 2004 drilling outlook is for 220 wells in the Permian, Anadarko, and East Texas basins.
Newfield Exploration Co., Houston, plans to run three rigs in 2004, drilling 35 wells near Grand in Ellis County. Newfield added more than 24,000 net acres and drilled 26 wells there last year, bringing production to 11 MMcfed at the end of 2003.