Niger
CNPC International Tenere Ltd. spudded the Fachi West-1 exploration well on the 17.3 million acre Tenere Block in Niger. The drillsite is 27 km north of Saha-1, where one formation tested noncommercial oil and a second interval was tight.
The well established the existence of a working hydrocarbon system on the block, said 20% interest holder TG World Energy Corp., Calgary. It found reservoir sandstones in the primary objective Eocene Sokor and Cretaceous-Tertiary Madama formations and sandstones in the Cretaceous Donga formation. Once Saha-1 is drilled, the operator plans to rerisk the existing prospect inventory and choose a third exploration drillsite.
Meanwhile, CNPCIT is acquiring a seismic survey on the adjacent Bilma concession, where TG World does not hold an interest. Afterward, the crew will acquire 700 line-km of 2D seismic surveys on Tenere.
UK
U.S. Energy Systems Inc., New York, said its UK subsidiary completed and tested the first of three planned wells at undeveloped Ebberston Moor gas field on PL007 in the Cleveland basin west of Scarborough.
The unit, UK Energy Systems Ltd., also finished a 3D seismic survey over Ebberston Moor, largest of six fields in the companies’ North Yorkshire gas development project.
Logs at Ebberston Moor-1 indicate 116-123 ft of net pay at 5,341 ft true vertical depth subsea in the primary reservoir. It stabilized at 5 MMcfd of gas on a 5-day test at 1,440 psi maximum flowing wellhead pressure.
A secondary reservoir has 177 ft of gross pay, and a 78-ft section of this interval flowed 1.32 MMcfd in an offset well. A pipeline to the natural gas grid will be required.
Thailand
Coastal Energy Co., London, reported reserves increases as of Jan. 1, 2007, from a year earlier of 42% to 220 bcf proved and probable and 55% to 272 bcf proved, probable, and possible in its holdings in Thailand.
The company has 12.6% interest in blocks EU1 and E5N that include Hess Corp.-operated Phu Horm field, producing 100 MMcfd of gas in northeastern Thailand.
It also holds 100% interest in Songkhla basin block G5/43 in the Gulf of Thailand with three successful appraisal wells drilled in 2005, two other discoveries awaiting appraisal, and untested exploration potential.
Other land holdings include 36.1% interest in Block L27/43 that contains undeveloped Dong Mun gas field and 21.7% interest in Block L13/48, adjacent to blocks L15/43 and L27/43, that contains the Si That gas discovery.
Newfoundland
Shoal Point Energy Ltd. took a farmout from Canadian Imperial Venture Corp., St. John’s, covering the Garden Hill South area in western Newfoundland.
SPEL plans to reenter the Port au Port-2 well and drill to 3,470 m true vertical depth or a depth sufficient to test the uppermost Ordovician St. George Group. The well’s subsurface target is 750 m north of the Port au Port-1 well in a separate fault block as defined by a 2D seismic survey.
Drilling the well will earn SPEL 50% of CIVC’s interest in the farmout lands. CIVC spudded Port au Port-2 in 2001, drilled to 500 m, and cased and suspended it.
If it doesn’t drill the well, SPEL will have the right to earn a partial interest by participating in any recompletion or workover in Sidetrack No. 2 to return the well to production.
Meanwhile, the farmee in the December 2006 Shoal Point/Garden Hill North deal, Tectonics Inc., has transferred its rights to SPEL, a private Calgary company whose president, George Langdon, is an expert in western Newfoundland geology.
Pakistan
The government provisionally awarded International Sovereign Energy Corp., Calgary, the Injra oil and gas block that straddles the Potwar and Kohat basins in Pakistan.
On the Potwar side of the 1,465 sq km block, target formations are Eocene Chorgali and Sakesar limestones, Jurassic Datta sandstone, and Cambrian Khewra sandstone.
Targets on the Kohat side are Paleocene Lockhart limestone, Lower Cretaceous Lumshiwal sandstone, Datta sandstone, Paleocene Hangu limestone, and Khewra sandstone.
