Eni SPA has signed a memorandum of understanding with Angola’s Sonangol to jointly examine onshore exploration and production opportunities.
Meanwhile, Roc Oil Co. Ltd., Perth, has spud the seventh and final well in an exploration program on the 1,073 sq km Cabinda South onshore block in the Lower Congo basin.
Eni and Sonangol described the plan’s principles, objectives, and timing, which are designed to boost Angola’s economic, industrial, and social development.
Eni said this approach also would underpin negotiations to promote its proprietary technology and strengthen its partnership with Sonangol. Eni will implement initiatives in energy, social, industrial, and educational fields and will contribute to Angola’s national content objectives.
The partners will focus on developing associated gas for power generation and on biofuels production—using surplus agricultural production not used for food. They also will implement educational projects. Other opportunities in the hydrocarbon sector will be examined as well.
Eni operates deepwater Block 15/06 and has current equity production of about 130,000 boe/d in Angola.
Elsewhere onshore in Angola, a group led by Roc Oil spud the Arroz-1 exploration well on Aug. 10 in the eastern part of the Cabinda South block. Like the previous three wells, it is to test a subsalt prospect and is expected to reach total depth in September.
Participating interests in the Cabinda South Block are Roc companies 60% and Force Petroleum Ltd. and Sonangol 20% each.
The group shot 722 line-km of 2D seismic and 618 sq km of 3D seismic on the block in 2005-07, and ran a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey in March 2006 over the whole block. Its first well, Massambala-1, discovered a shallow heavy oil accumulation on the western side, and the group plans to drill as many as six shallow appraisal wells in the second half of 2008.
The second and third wells, Cevada-1 and Soja-1, had good hydrocarbon shows but neither was judged commercial.
Milho-1 encountered a presalt sequence with a thick source rock and had important oil and gas shows but was noncommercial.
Coco-1 produced 26° gravity oil and associated gas to surface on open hole drillstem testing of two presalt intervals and was suspended as an oil discovery.
Sesamo-1 confirmed the existence of presalt target reservoir sands but had no shows.
Albania
Manas Petroleum Corp., Baar, Switzerland, said its DWM Petroleum AG subsidiary launched a 600 line-km 2D seismic survey in the fold and thrust belt in northwestern Albania.
Geological Institute of Israel mobilized five Vibroseis units to a camp near Tirana to acquire 183 line-km on blocks A, B, and E. The crew will then use explosive sources to shoot the rest of the survey on blocks B, D, and E in second quarter 2009.
The purpose is to highgrade eight identified oil prospects.
Kyrgyzstan
Manas Petroleum Corp. said its DWM Petroleum AG subsidiary agreed to permit Santos International Holdings Pty. Ltd. to begin the phase 2 work program before the end of phase 1 in Kyrgyzstan.
If Santos doesn’t withdraw within 60 days of the end of the Phase 1 work period, which is yet to occur, then Santos must drill a minimum of two exploration wells. In addition, Santos has the right to elect to withdraw from the farm-in agreement by giving notice to that effect to DWM within 60 days after completing the second exploration well.
Santos is in discussions regarding refurbishment of a drilling rig currently in Kyrgyzstan. Up to four shallow exploration prospects have been identified for drilling by the rig beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008, and four deep prospects are to be drilled in 2009.
Louisiana
Meridian Resource Corp., Houston, reported completion of the Goodrich-Cocke-6 well in Weeks Island field, Iberia Parish, La.
Sidetracked to 8,500 ft measured depth, it logged 100 ft of overall prospective oil pay in Miocene sand and tested at as much as 2,500 b/d of oil. The state allowable is 800 b/d.
Swift Energy Co., Houston, is executing a strategic 3D based South Louisiana exploration program (OGJ, Sept. 24, 2007, p. 34).
The company is drilling, as operator with 50% working interest, an 18,000-ft prospect in the Lake Washington-Bay de Chene area and participating with 25% working interest in a 16,000-ft prospect that is being drilled closer to the High Island area.
Swift intends to drill two other prospects in the third and fourth quarters of 2008. One will be a 12,000-15,000-ft test in the Westside area of Lake Washington, and the other will be a 15,000-ft test in the Bay de Chene area.
The company is designing and planning an 18,000-20,000-ft subsalt test in the Lake Washington area for drilling in first half 2009.
Nevada
Surge Global Energy Inc., Solana Beach, Calif., a formative company, paid Tetuan Resources Corp., Boca Raton, Fla., $500,000 for two leases totaling 2,500 acres in northern Nevada.
Surge Global agreed to drill a test well on the Green Valley prospect before Aug. 1, 2009, to a maximum depth of 4,500 ft. It owns a 100% work interest in the initial well until payout, after which Tetuan will back into a 15% working interest.
Surge Global plans to drill the initial test well within 120-150 days.
The company said Green Valley is on trend with and has geology similar to Grant Canyon oil field in Nye County, Nevada’s largest oil field.
