Germany
The German unit of PRD Energy Inc., Calgary, has been provisionally awarded the 200,000-acre Uelzen exploration license in Lower Saxony north of Hannover, Germany, subject to review by municipal and state authorities.
Uelzen, adjacent to PRD's Steinhorst license, is awarded for an initial 5 years and includes all rights surface to basement. PRD said it is committed to bringing at least two wells onto production within 5 years.
Meanwhile, the company has completed shooting and is interpreting 3D seismic over the idle Boerger pool on the 720-acre Boerger-Werlte license south of Emden. Boerger, which had 10 wells that recovered 900,000 bbl of oil from Jurassic Malm and Dogger, ceased producing in 2003.
Morocco
Chevron Corp.'s Moroccan unit signed reconnaissance agreements with Morocco's Onhym covering three frontier deepwater areas in the Atlantic.
Chevron Morocco Exploration Ltd. will shoot seismic and conduct other studies once the deepwater areas known as Cap Rhir Deep, Cap Cantin Deep, and Cap Walidia Deep have been awarded.
The three areas total 11,300 sq miles in 330-14,700 ft of water 60-120 miles west and northwest of Agadir. Chevron has a 75% working interest in the three areas and Onhym has 25%.
Papua New Guinea
InterOil Corp., Houston, said its Antelope-3 appraisal well in Papua New Guinea penetrated the top of the reservoir 217 ft high to prognosis, began flowing gas, and was shut-in.
The well on PRL 15 topped the reservoir at 5,328 ft, 92 ft higher than the Antelope-1 well. Drillers circulated out the gas kick, flared the gas, cemented 95⁄8-in. liner, and ran a vertical seismic profile.
Once a blowout preventer is installed and tested, the firm will begin drilling the reservoir section in 61⁄4-in. hole.
The plan is to drill 300 ft into the reservoir, drillstem test the open hole section, then drill the entire reservoir interval to an anticipated total depth of 8,366 ft before running wireline logs, taking rotary sidewall cores, and drillstem testing.
Antelope-3 primary objectives are to confirm reservoir depth, composition, character, and continuity, provide samples for analysis to further assist in development well planning, assist in the gas resource evaluation, satisfy work program obligations for PRL 15, and complete the well as a future production well.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea's Department of Petroleum and Energy granted a license variation that allows the company to defer drilling a second commitment well from the first 2-year work program into the second 2-year work program. This should allow InterOil to manage service industry cost as we ramp up to a two-well drilling program without straining the available resources in PNG.
Russia
EastSiberian PLC, formerly PetroKamchatka PLC, has applied to relinquish the Tigilskaya exploration license in Kamchatka, Russia, and will focus on proven oil basins elsewhere in Russia.
The company obtained Tigilskaya from the Russian government in September 2011 on the basis of defined work commitments. It has been unable to find a joint venture partner to farm into the license.
Relinquishment awaits final government approval. No penalties or other costs are associated with relinquishment, which will mark completion of the company's activity and license holdings in the Kamchatka region.
