Australia
Rodinia Oil Corp., Calgary, let a contract to Ryder Scott Co. LP to estimate hydrocarbon resource potential on its acreage in the remote, nonproducing Officer basin in Western Australia and South Australia.
Rodinia Oil management interpretation of seismic and gravity and magnetic data indicates the possibility of more than 12 large closures of 10,000-157,000 acres that contain at least four prospective reservoir horizons 50-500 m thick.
Several features on the closures are classified as high risk drillable anomalies. A second phase seismic program is planned in early 2009.
Egypt
Melrose Resources PLC, Edinburgh, said its 2008 capital budget included $1 million for an aeromagnetic survey and geologic studies on a frontier exploration block in southwestern Egypt along the border with Sudan.
The 57,000 sq km Mesaha Block in the Sahara Desert is in the unexplored Mesaha Trough and within 100 miles of the border with Libya.
Melrose is operator with 40% interest. Hellenic Petroleum SA and Oil Search Ltd. each hold 30%. The block was awarded in late 2006.
Portugal
A group led by Petrobras International Braspetro BV let a contract to SCAN Geophysical ASA, Oslo, to shoot more than 8,500 line-km of 2D seismic in the Atlantic off Portugal.
The M/V Geo Searcher is using a 10,000-m long MSX solid (gel-filled) streamer system and a 4,200 cu in. source array designed for low frequency output.
Braspetro and Lisbon concerns Partex Oil & Gas (Holdings) Corp. and Galp Energia SA hold four blocks that cover 12,159 sq km in 200-3,000 m of water in the Lusitanian basin.
Spain
Leni Gas & Oil PLC started a waterflood pilot in June at Ayoluengo field in northern Spain’s Burgos region.
Judged capable of recovering another 4-6 million bbl of oil, the field has produced 17 million bbl of 37° gravity oil since discovery in 1964. Repsol-YPF SA operated a successful pilot waterflood in the 1990s but never implemented a fieldwide program.
The field’s produced water is injected into one well, and the pilot is to inject fresh water produced from a shallow aquifer into two more wells.
Ayoluengo, which produces oil from the Lower Cretaceous Sargentes sandstone at 4,100 ft, has averaged 115 b/d in recent months.
Alaska
A spreadsheet error indicated too low a level of exploratory drilling in Alaska in 2008 in OGJ’s Midyear Forecast (see table, OGJ, July 14, 2008, p. 38).
OGJ estimates that 14 exploration wells of all types were drilled in the state in the first half of 2008 and that the total for the full year will be 30 exploration wells.
Louisiana
Encore Acquisition Co., Fort Worth, plans to explore the Jurassic Haynesville shale for gas in North Louisiana in early 2009.
The company, which on May 21 said it plans to explore strategic alternatives, on July 15 closed the $54 million acquisition of partners’ interests in the Greenwood Waskom/Stateline prospect.
Encore became operator of five units that produce from the Cotton Valley formation and acquired the Haynesville rights in each unit with 92% average working interest and 72% net revenue interest.
The acquisition added 3,200 net acres to Encore’s 10,000 net acres in Elm Grove and Greenwood Waskom fields in the heart of the Haynesville play. The company also owns 8,000 net acres in the extensional area of the play.
Mississippi
Encore Acquisition Co., Fort Worth, said it amassed 208,000 acres the past 2 years in areas of southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana’s Florida parishes believed prospective for oil in the Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale.
The public company, which on May 21 said it is exploring strategic alternatives, has drilled two horizontal wells (OGJ, Dec. 29, 1997, p. 91; Oct. 11, 1999, p. 103).
The first well made 150-200 b/d of oil for 7 days from a 1,500-ft lateral, and the second well has a 3,100-ft lateral.