Colombia
Emerald Energy PLC plans to drill another development well in Vigia field on the Campo Rico Association Contract in Colombia.
Vigia-4ST will use 1,500 ft of the cased well bore of the unsuccessful Vigia-4 well drilled in 2007 and will be drilled directionally to the Une and Gacheta reservoirs south of the Vigia-5 well.
Meanwhile, the Vigia-6 development well found oil in both reservoirs and had good development of clean sandstones in Gacheta, where it was completed at an initial stable flow test rate of 850 b/d of oil with a trace of water.
India
Canoro Resources Ltd., Calgary, plans to obtain a 30% participating interest from Essar Oil Ltd. and Essar Energy Holdings Ltd. in two exploration production-sharing contracts in Upper Assam, India, subject to government approval.
The AA-ONN-2004/3 and AA-ONN-2004/5 blocks total 1,285 sq km.
AA-ONN-2004/3 is north of the Brahmaputra River and has potential for interesting structures in the Himalayan foothills. The first 4-year exploration period requires 50 sq km of 3D seismic and 400 line-km of 2D seismic acquisition plus one exploration well.
AA-ONN-2004/5 is south of the river and has potential for stratigraphic plays. The first 4-year exploration period has a work commitment of 50 sq km of 3D seismic and 180 line-km of 2D seismic acquisition plus one exploration well.
Papua New Guinea
Sasol Petroleum International, Johannesburg, obtained a 51% working interest in four oil and gas licenses totaling 37,000 sq km near established fields in the Papua New Guinea foreland.
Seismic surveys are to start in October on PPL 285, 286, 287, and 288.
Partners include Papua Petroleum Ltd., a Papua New Guinea exploration company.
British Columbia
Result Energy Inc., Calgary, plans to spend $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, subject to board approval, to participate in four wells and 3D seismic surveying in the Horn River basin in Northeast British Columbia.
The company holds 29,000 net acres prospective for gas in the Devonian Muskwa and Evie shales and the underlying Devonian Keg River platform.
Louisiana
Operators reported developments in the emerging Jurassic Haynesville shale gas play.
Cubic Energy Inc., Dallas, cased to TD of 11,950 ft its fifth Haynesville shale well in the play, its second well on Bethany-Longstreet field acreage.
Red Oak Timber 5-1 logged Cotton Valley and Hosston zones and two shale zones comparable in thickness and quality to those cut at the company’s Estes 7-1 well. The shale is also comparable to that being produced by operators in Johnson Branch and Caspiana fields, the company said.
Gas sales began Aug. 26 at 886 Mcfd from the company’s Bonomo 35-1 well and Sept. 1 at 885 Mcfd from Wilbanks 36-1, both producing from Cotton Valley after a new refrac design.
Chesapeake Energy Corp., meanwhile, completed the $263 million purchase of 13,000 net acres of mineral rights in the Northwest Louisiana Haynesville from International Paper Co., Memphis.
New Mexico
Carbon dioxide injection began on Aug. 25 at Milnesand (San Andres) Unit in Roosevelt County, NM, and unit oil production could grow to 5,000 b/d when fully flooded from the present 70 b/d, said Enhanced Oil Resources Inc., Houston.
The pilot injection rate stabilized at 400 Mcfd for 7 days in the 5,000-acre unit. Cumulative production is 13% of the estimated 95 million bbl of OOIP. Target is 18 million bbl.
Full field development is contingent on construction of a pipeline to deliver CO2 from western New Mexico and eastern Arizona.
North Dakota
Newfield Exploration Co., Houston, has accumulated 170,000 net acres in the Williston basin Bakken shale oil play the past 3 years and plans to operate at least two rigs there throughout 2009.
The acreage position includes nearly 100,000 acres west of the Nesson anticline, 16,000 acres along the anticline, and 54,000 acres in Elm Coulee field, Richland County, Mont. Newfield has an average 57% working interest in 13,600 gross acres in the Lost Bear Prospect along the anticline in McKenzie and Dunn counties, ND, has identified more than 10 drilling locations, and expects to drill 4-6 wells there in 2008.
It holds 18,000 gross acres 50-50 with Concho Resources in the Westberg Prospect along the anticline in Williams County, ND, where Newfield has more than 20 locations and expects to drill 5-7 wells in 2008.
Continental Resources Inc., Enid, Okla., built its position in the Bakken shale play to 577,000 net acres in Montana and North Dakota, including 32,000 net acres in Mercer County, ND.
It is operating 10 rigs in North Dakota, six of which target the Three Forks/Sanish formation in hopes of proving the company’s theory that that zone is separate from the overlying Middle Bakken over the majority of its acreage (OGJ, Apr. 28, 2008, p. 38). It is running four rigs in Richland County, Mont., where it plans to spud its first Three Forks/Sanish well this month.
