RUSSIA
The government of Russia's Sakiia republic has opened an international competitive bid round for licenses to explore for, produce, and/or process hydrocarbons in the republic.
For the bidding round, set to end Dec. 1, 1994, national oil and gas company Sakhaneftegas and Yakutskgeophysika geophysical association have divided the republic into l latitude by 2 longitude quadrants, each subdivided into 16 blocks of 500-800 sq km. A single license can cover as many as eight contiguous blocks. Intera Information Technologies Ltd., Henley, England, has prepared geological and geophysical data for the licensing round.
More than 54% of Sakha's more than 3 million sq km area is considered prospective for oil and gas, and major finds have been logged (OGJ, Apr. 25, p. 69). But 90% of the 30 fields discovered await exploitation.
TEXAS
GULF COAST
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. plans to drill a confirmation well during fourth quarter 1994 near another Eocene Yegua gas discovery.
The 1 Sun Fee, in Jefferson County flowed 8.3 MMcfd of gas with 739 b/d of condensate through a 16/64 in. choke with 7,474 psi flowing tubing pressure from perforations at 13,200 264 ft. The interval contains 41 ft of net pay.
Anadarko controls 4,500 acres on the prospect. It owns a 60% working interest in the well. Oryx Energy Co. owns 40% through Sun Operating LP.
Anadarko has drilled or participated in 17 wells with 11 successful completions since entering the Yegua play in 1992. Net production capacity for Anadarko's Yegua wells is an estimated 15 MMcfd of gas and 700 b/d of condensate.
OXY USA Inc. will drill to 17,000 ft at a deeper pool wildcat in Neyland gas field of Goliad County,.
The 1 Neyland Estate, 1 1/2 miles east of Charco, is in an area of Eocene Wilcox production.
American Exploration Co., Houston, tripled gas production to 1.4 MMcfd in West McAllen field of Hidalgo County.
Analysis of 3D seismic data on its 1,671 acre lease identified more development potential, and another well is drilling. American holds a 75% working interest in the lease, acquired in late 1993.
EAST
American Exploration Co. identified two more development locations in Bear Grass field, Leon and Freestone counties.
The company placed on production its 100% owned 2 McMahon development well, offset to a successful Jurassic Cotton Valley recompletion, flowing 1.7 MMcfd of gas net to American.
WEST
A joint venture led by Crawford & Cameron Group, Houston, plans an aggressive development program to develop multiple reservoirs discovered by three producing wells in Van West oil field of Van Zandt County.
Most recent completion is the 1 Hill, 20 miles northwest of Tyler. It flowed 180 b/d of oil with 190 Mcfd of gas with 640 psi flowing tubing pressure from the lowermost two pay zones in Lower Cretaceous Travis Peak. Total depth is 7,300 ft.
The well, drilled on the basis of advanced 3D seismic data, also encountered Cretaceous Pettet, James, and Rodessa and confirmed Carlisle pails found in the 1 Palmer Metcalf discovery well.
The 1 Hill is the third successful exploratory test drilled in the past 6 months by the joint venture, which also includes Union Oil Co. of California, DDD Energy Inc., and several other partners.
Also holding interests in the 1 Hill are High Island Oil Corp., GRM Petroleum Inc., Al Rowan, and several others.
American Exploration Co. has identified 16 more development locations in Henderson field of Crockett County.
Four development wells completed since yearend 1993 have added 1 MMcfd of gas production net to American's 34% working interest.
ARKANSAS
Simmons Land Inc., Tyler, Tex., has staked a remote wildcat in eastern Arkansas.
The 1 Fogleman/Larsen, in 16 7n 9e, in nonproducing Crittenden County, is projected to 3,600 ft in Cretaceous, Petroleum Information reported.
The location is 3 miles east of Marion, Ark., and just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tenn. It is 77 miles northwest of shallow Mississippian gas production in northern Mississippi.
KANSAS
Mobil Oil Corp. plans to try horizontal drilling in the Permian Chase sand of supergiant Hugoton gas field.
The company's 4 Tate Unrein Unit, in 5 26s 35w, Kearny County, is to have a 1,600 ft lateral in Chase at 2,550 ft true vertical depth, Petroleum Information reported.
This is thought to be the first horizontal drilling in the field.
Chance Drilling Co., Pratt, Kan., staked three horizontal oil wells in East Wellsford field of Pratt and Kiowa counties.
The wells, in 24 28s 16w and 19 28s 15w, are to be drilled to true vertical depths of 4,688 ft or Mississippian, PI reported.
S. LOUISIANA
Hunt Oil Co. and Union Oil Co. of California spudded an appraisal well 1,800 ft west of the bottomhole location of a discovery in Cameron Parish.
The discovery well, 1 Sweet Lake Land & Oil, in 5-12s 7w, in the West Chalkley field area, is producing 1.2MMcfd of gas with 538 b/d of condensate. It earlier flowed at rates of 2.2 MMcfd of gas and 1,156 b/d of 50 gravity condensate through a 12/64 in. choke with 7,254 psi flowing tubing pressure from an undisclosed interval below 14,000 ft.
The well also encountered hydrocarbons in two other zones above and below the producing interval. Total depth is 15,062 ft.
Hunt and Unocal acquired 3D seismic data and control about 2,500 acres near the discovery.
Union Oil Co. of California expects production in Fresh Water Bayou field of Vermilion Parish to rise to 30 MMcfd of gas in early May.
It started up the field in late April, placing on production the 16C Louisiana Furs well in 33 16s 2e at rates of 26 MMcfd of gas and 180 b/d of condensate from an undisclosed interval. The 17C well, 2,000 ft northeast of the discovery well, is to be completed by early September 1994.
Unocal has a 50% working interest, Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. 35%, Nomeco Oil & Gas Co. 10%, and others hold 5%.
OXY USA Inc. is well along at a remote Upper Cretaceous Austin chalk horizontal exploratory test in Rapides Parish.
Objective depth is 19,500 ft at the 1 Monroe, in 30 1n-2w, 3 miles northeast of Glenmora.
This is near a former Gulf Oil Corp. well that produced gas and condensate from Upper Cretaceous Lower Tuscaloosa in 1979 but was not put on production, Petroleum Information reported. The discovery was named Masters Creek field.
MISSISSIPPI
Kerr McGee Corp. staked a deep wildcat in little drilled Warren County.
The 1 Anderson Tully Co., in 10 18n 2e, 15 miles northeast of Vicksburg, is projected to 18,000 ft.
Petroleum Information places the location on the northeast flank of the Eagle Bend salt dome and 3 miles west northwest of a 17,429 ft wildcat in Issaquena County.
MONTANAShell Western E&P Inc. has staked a horizontal development well in giant Cabin Creek field in Fallon County.
The 42X 20H Cabin Creek Unit, in 20 10n 58e, 18 miles northwest of Baker, is to be drilled to Ordovician Red River at 8,875 ft. Plans also call for tests in Ordovician Stony Mountain and Silurian, Petroleum Information reported.
NEBRASKA
Nebraska will get a rank wildcat in nonproducing Perkins County in the Denver basin.
Coral Production Corp., Denver, staked the 4 9 Theiler, in 4 lln 36w, 20 miles northwest of Sunbird oil field.
Projected total depth is 5,150 ft or Precambrian.
The spot is 9 miles northeast of Madrid, Neb., Petroleum Information reported.
U.S. GULF
Union Oil Co. of California expects to be able to increase production from Ship Shoal Block 266 to 10 MMcfd of gas later this year.
The company is producing 554 b/d of oil and 5.7 Nmcfd of gas from two new wells drilled from the A and B platforms on the block. This production is part of Ship Shoal Block 253 field.
Production from Block 266 is 1,008 b/d of oil and 6.9 MMcfd of gas.
UTAH
BHP Petroleum (Americas) Inc. received a federal drilling permit for a remote wildcat in Garfield County.
Lower Cambrian Tapeats sandstone and the source potential of the Precambrian Chuar group are the objectives of the 1 Federal, in 2833s 7e, 25 miles east northeast of Escalante on the Cirde Cliffs uplift.
Petroleum Information notes that the location is 36 miles east northeast of Upper Valley oil field.
Union Oil Co. of Cafifornia staked a horizontal exploratory test in San Juan County 3 miles north of Lisbon oil field.
The 1 Coyote Unit, 25 miles southeast of Moab in 29 29s 24e, is projected to Pennsylvanian Cane Creek shale at 8,190 ft true vertical depth.
The location is 35 miles southeast of the horizontal Cane Creek play in Bartlett Flat oil field in Grand County, PI reported.
ISRAEL
More exploratory drilling is on tap in the Mediterranean off Israel.
Isramco Inc., New York, Jerusalem Oil Exploration Ltd., and Pass Port Ltd. decided to drill the 1 Yam West well on the Med Yavne license to 17,700 ft 20 miles northwest of Ashdod in 2,130 ft of water.
The companies gave other partnership participants 30 days to elect whether to participate in the well, which is expected to cost $22.33 million. The other potential partners are Delek Drilling LP, Naphtha Exploration LP, and Israel Petroleum Co. Ltd.
The parficipants also approved $1.32 million to conduct a site survey and upgrade the Benreoch semisubmersible to drill in 2,130 ft of water. Benreoch was drilling below 12,800 ft at the 1 Yam Yafo wildcat in early May.
QATAR
Maersk Oil Qatar completed drilling the 2 AI Shaheen well off Qatar to evaluate the oil producing potential of Lower Cretaceous Khareib limestone about 3,500 ft beneath the Persian Gulf sea bed.
The well is said to be the world's longest horizontal penetration, reaching a displacement of 12,768 ft. Maersk set the previous record of 10,228 ft in February 1994 at the 3 AI Shaheen well in the same formation.
The Maersk Viking jack up drilled the wells. There was no word as to productivity of the formation, OPEC News Agency reported.
OKLAHOMA
Rathff Operating, Amarillo, staked an Ordovician Arbuckle wildcat in Jackson County of the Hardeman basin.
The 1 Clara, in 10 2s 24w, just north of the Red River, is to be drilled to 9,100 ft, or 150 ft into Arbuckle, Petroleum Information reported.
The site is 2 3/4 miles southeast of one well Southwest El Dorado oil field.
Bengalia Exploration, Dallas, appears to be planning Arbuckle exploration along the Arkoma/Ouachita thrust front in southern Atoka County.
It asked the state to estabbsh 640 acre spacing units in 10 , 11 , and 15 3s 12e. The spacing would cover Pennsylvanian Atoka and Cromwell; Mississippian Goddard and Jackfork, Chickasha chert, and Stanley; Mississippian Devonian Arkansas novaculite; Devonian Woodford; Silurian Devonian Hunton; Ordovician Viola, Big Fork, Womble, Simpson; and Cambro Ordovician Arbuckle.
This area is 2 miles south of one well Southeast Atoka Townsite oil field.
RUSSIA
OGJ inadvertently omitted an acknowledgment notice that was to have been published with an article about the oil and gas potential of the Russian Far East (OGJ, Apr. 25, p. 69).
The arficle is partly based on an in depth, multiclient study, "Oil and Gas in the Russian Far East," jointly prepared by World Energy Analysis and Forecasting Group (Gapmer), Moscow, and Fesharaki Associates Consulting and Technical Services (Facts), Honolulu.
Copyright 1994 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.