INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

EXPLORATION

ISRAEL granted the Negev Venture 2 an additional permit for exploration on the 1.030 million acre Negev Yam North permit area off Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The acreage stretches 73 miles from Ashdod to Haifa. Isramco Inc., New York, a participant, said the venture plans a three well, $40 million drilling program to test the Jurassic pay found by its 2 Yam well. Two wells will be drilled offshore and one onshore to test Jurassic and Permian on the coastal plain.

A JOINT VENTURE of Ste. Nationale Elf Aquitaine and Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. is evaluating an oil discovery off Southeast Nigeria. Its 4 Okike discovery well flowed 41.5 gravity oil at rates of 1,100-2,800 b/d from various zones on Block CPI 93, one of four being explored by the venture.

DRILLING-PRODUCTION

AMOCO CANADA LTD. plans to drill 51 wells this year in its Elk Point-Lindbergh heavy oil field development program in Northeast Alberta, It has drilled 39 wells and recently released one of two rigs working on the program. Amoco also is discussing with the Alberta government a proposed 16 well heavy oil drilling program in the Bonnyville area, which it expects to start this year.

SCEPTRE RESOURCES LTD., Calgary, substantially completed placement of a crude oil price hedge through the New York Mercantile exchange to lock in available high crude prices for 50% of the company's expected oil and liquids production for October 1990-December 1991. Sceptre has sold forward 4.5 million bbl of oil in about equal monthly increments for that period at a weighted average realized price of $26.15/bbl for West Texas intermediate.

AMOCO CONGO EXPLORATION CO. awarded a $12 million contract for the installation hook-up and commissioning of the Yombo field floating oil storage unit off Congo to Rockwater International.

MOBIL NORTH SEA and Amoco (U.K.) Exploration Co. will auction their 15.33269% interest in the U.K. North Sea Hutton field. The auction will be conducted by S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltd., London. Hutton, operated by Conoco (U.K.) Ltd., was developed with the world's first tension legged platform. It is producing about 35,000 b/d.

HAMILTON BROS. OIL & GAS will spud two wells before yearend to appraise its gas discovery in Morecambe Bay Block 110/13 off the northwest coast of England. The discovery is near British Gas plc's Morecambe gas field. Hamilton has chartered the Penrod 80 jack up, which will move to Morecambe Bay when it has completed an appraisal of Hamilton's gas discovery in the southern U.K. North Sea Block 43/27, tested last April.

BHP PETROLEUM will place its 1 Cuchuma oil discovery in Northwest Argentina on production. The shallow field holds only about 1.5 million bbl of reserves, but BHP estimates its permit, held in partnership with a local company Pluspetrole and the World Bank, has a potential of about 25 million bbl.

CZAR RESOURCES LTD., Calgary, and joint venture partners Orbit Oil & Gas Ltd. and Frobisher Resources Ltd. reported progress in developing gas required for their long term California export contract with Alberta & Southern Gas Co. Ltd. A&S conducted a reserves redetermination in the Helmet area of British Columbia and estimated reserves of 230 bcf controlled by the Czar group. Czar's land holdings and developed reserves in that area are 112,000 net acres and 118.1 bcf.

COMPANIES

U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK plans to help General Electric sell equipment and services to Petroleos de Venezuela SA. GE will supply engineering and construction supervision services and a gas turbine generator for a power plant at El Tablazo petrochemical complex along Lake Maracaibo. Eximbank will guarantee $9.5 million of the $10.5 million deal on 8 1/2 year terms.

ENVIRONMENT

INTERNATIONAL PETROLEUM Industry Environmental Conservation Association (Ipieca) paid the first installment of a $900,000 contribution toward research of postulated global warming by the U.K. Meteorological Office, Bracknell, England. The 3 year program will use the Met Office's C-130 Hercules aircraft to gather data on cloud processes and atmospheric radiation. Ipieca will use the data to study the greenhouse effect and possible policy options on emissions controls.

TRANSPORTATION

AUSTRALIA NORTHERN TERRITORY Power & Water Authority agreed with Nabalco Pty. Ltd. to set up preliminary work schedules for construction of a 375 mile line from the Amadeus-Darwin pipeline to the Nabalco bauxite mine and alumina refinery at Gove. Magellan Petroleum Corp. said it is the first major step toward building a pipeline to carry gas from the Amadeus basin to the Gove plant.

BAY STALE GAS GO. unit Granite State Gas Transmission Inc., Canton, Mass., agreed with Portland Pipe Line Corp. and Montreal Pipe Line Ltd. to play a lead role in developing a pipeline in New England. Granite State will organize and implement a project to build a gas pipeline in Montreal Pipe Line's right-of-way for its existing oil lines between Montreal, Que., and Portland, Maine. Granite State also will rebuild its gas pipeline from Portland to Haverhill, Mass.

IRAN'S Petroleum Minister Gholamreza Aghazadeh inaugurated a $32 million petroleum products pipeline linking the industrial city of Arak in the Central province with Malayer and Mamadan in western Iran. The 12 in., 1,834 km pipeline has a 50,000 b/d capacity, but it will transport only 20,000 b/d of kerosine and gas oil in the initial phase.

MOBIL GAS MARKETING U.K. signed an agreement with British Gas plc to transport Mobil gas from Camelot and Welland fields in the southern U.K. North Sea from Bacton terminal on England's east coast to industrial and commercial customers in Britain using BG's distribution system.

REFINING

FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA ruled a patent belonging to Lubrizol Corp., Cleveland, was valid and had been infringed by Imperial Oil Ltd., Exxon Corp.'s Canadian affiliate, The patent covers additives that improve performance of lubricants for gasoline and diesel engines, and finished lubricants that use those additives. The court permanently enjoined Imperial from making, using, or selling about 20 specified additives and finished lubricants and awarded undetermined money damages.