API May U.S. well completions

• API May U.S. well completions [19361 bytes]

Azerbaijan

Oil Industries & Engineering Co. of Iran with 10% and PetroFina SA of Belgium with 5% have joined a group that plans to explore and develop the Lenkoran and Talysh structures in the Caspian Sea (see map, OGJ, Jan. 20, 1997, p. 31).

The Elf Aquitaine led group also includes State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic and units of Total and Deminex.

Norway

Esso Norge AS has a Paleocene discovery at its 100% owned Forseti prospect 4 miles north of Balder field in the North Sea.

The Forseti well flowed a sustained 2,600 b/d of oil with a maximum rate of 4,200 b/d from one reservoir interval. TD is 6,100 ft below sea level. The well is in 420 ft of water on Production License 027, Block 25/8.

The company's 50% owned Hanz prospect 9 miles south of Balder yielded an oil and gas discovery in Jurassic sandstones earlier this year. Esso is evaluating various development options including use of the Balder field infrastructure.

Sudan

Arakis Energy Corp., Calgary, said independent engineers added 100 million bbl of proved reserves to three exploration areas on its Sudan concessions.

That brings proved concession reserves to 262 million bbl. The additions were elevated from the probable category with drilling of the El Toor, Toma South, and El Nar appraisal and discovery wells.

Interests are State Petroleum Corp. 25%, China National Petroleum Co. 40%, Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd. 30%, and Sudapet Ltd. 5%.

Meanwhile, OMV AG, Vienna, was to acquire from International Petroleum Corp., Dubai, a 27.5% interest in IPC's Block 5A project southeast of Unity and Telih fields. That would bring block interests to IPC, operator, 40.375%, Petronas 28.5%, and OMV 26.125%.

IPC plans a 1,350 line km seismic survey this year and at least two wildcats in 1998-99.

Tanzania

Canadian Canop International Co. acquired an 18,000 sq km central coastal license. The agreement calls for drilling of 14 wells in three offshore and onshore areas the next 11 years.

The area takes in the onshore around Dar es Salaam between the mouth of the Ruvu river to the north and the Rufiji delta to the south. It also covers the Mafia Island basin's broad continental shelf and the islands east of the Rufiji delta, Agence France Presse reported.

Trinidad

Krishna Persad & Associates Ltd. completed a new pool discovery on the southwestern Trinidad Barrackpore farm-out block from Petrotrin.

The well found 75 ft of oil sands at 1,430-1,700 ft and pumped more than 100 b/d of oil on initial tests. TD is 2,000 ft. The block has produced more than 500,000 bbl of oil (OGJ, May 5, 1997, p. 135).

Saskatchewan

Purcell Energy Ltd., Calgary, expects a Mississippian Midale marly zone horizontal well at Weyburn, Sask., to produce starting in early July at its restricted allowable rate of 380 b/d.

The well, drilled 437 m in Midale, flowed as much as 900 b/d of clean oil during underbalanced drilling.

Gulf of Mexico

The U.S. Minerals Management Service approved deepwater royalty relief for the first time.

The relief provides for abatement of the federal royalty on the first 52.5 million bbl of oil equivalent produced from Sunday Silence field in 1,500 ft of water on Ewing Bank blocks 958 and 1003 off Louisiana.

Tatham Offshore Inc., Houston, drilled the discovery well in 1994. The approval will help the company develop the field in a timely manner, Tatham said.

Production started in late May from the Garden Banks 117 No. 2 well, report Leviathan Gas Pipeline Partners LP and Occidental Petroleum Corp.

The well flowed 3,000 b/d with 5 MMcfd of gas on an adjustable choke with stabilized FTP of 3,850 psig from Glob Alt A sand at 13,500 ft. The well was also precompleted in the Lentic oil sand reservoir at 13,000 ft.

The No. 2 is 300 ft updip of the No. 1 well, making 1,550 b/d of oil with 3 MMcfd of gas from Glob Alt A.

Arizona

Ridgeway Petroleum Corp., Calgary, plans to drill six more delineation wells at a Holbrook basin carbon dioxide/helium area, including three in New Mexico, starting in July.

The company expects to sell CO2 to California markets. It anticipates long term production of 500-600 MMcfd of CO2 if delineation drilling proves reserves consistent with estimates. The field appears to be the second or third largest CO2 reservoir in North America.

The company by August will finish stimulating and testing all zones in its delineation program of 10 wells drilled since end-1996 (OGJ, May 5, 1997, p. 128). One of the wells tested a separate structure, the Zuni River dome, and was a dry hole.

Louisiana

National Energy Group Inc., Dallas, dually completed the 2 Schwing in East Bayou Sorrel field in Iberville Parish.

The well flowed 912 b/d of oil and 1 MMcfd of gas on an 8/64 in. choke with 6,800 psi flowing pressure from 28 ft of perforated net pay in Cibb hazz 2 sand and 575 b/d of oil and 1.2 MMcfd of gas on a 9/64 in. choke at 6,900 psi FP from 27 ft of perforated net pay in three Marg. howeii sands.

The well cut 74 ft of net ay in nine potentially productive zones. TD is 13,480 ft. Co-owners are Pease Oil & Gas Co., Grand Junction, Colo., and Fortune Petroleum Corp., Houston.

Mississippi

Coho Energy Inc., Dallas, plans to drill an updip well and a downstructure delineation test near a recent exploratory completion in Brookhaven field of Lincoln County.

One of 11 productive sands in Cretaceous Paluxy at 12,960 ft flowed 205 b/d of oil on a 14/64 in. choke. One of three productive Washita Fredericksburg sands at 11,820 ft flowed 410 b/d of oil on an 11/64 in. choke with 505 psig FTP.

The well has a combined 183 ft of pay in Paluxy and Washita Fredericksburg. It also has 28 ft of pay in Tuscaloosa, from which the field has produced for more than 50 years.

Meanwhile, another Coho well at Brookhaven is flowing to sales 1.9 MMcfd of gas and 80 b/d of condensate on an 8/64 in. choke with 6,300 psig FTP from geopressured Rodessa at 15,200 ft. Coho was to hike the flow rate to 4-5 MMcfd of gas in mid-June and drill an offset in third quarter 1997.

Nevada

Eagle Springs field reserves might grow by as much as 10 million bbl with an improved recovery program, says Foreland Corp., Lakewood, Colo.

A pilot project is to start this summer, pending finalization of details with state regulators. Foreland said preliminary analysis indicates production from the Nye County field might rise three-fold to four-fold from the present 450 b/d of 28? gravity crude from about 20 wells.

Foreland also acquired 3,200 acres of federal leases in and adjacent to the northwest side of the field. This acreage, judged to have downdip potential based on 3D data interpretation, have not previously produced.

Meanwhile, Foreland operated Ghost Ranch field in Nye County just south of Eagle Springs is averaging 500 b/d of 17? gravity oil from three wells, including the 47-35 well, where remedial work shut off water flow from deeper horizons.

MKJ Exploration, Me- tairie, La., staked a wildcat in the White River Valley.

Projected depth is not disclosed at the 25-7 Trough Spring Canyon, in 25-6n-61e, Nye County, 30 miles east-southeast of Grant Canyon oil field, PI/Dwights noted.

North Dakota

GeoResources Inc., Williston, N.D., planned to complete the H1 Ballantyne-State/Steinhaus well in Wayne field of Bottineau County. The company drilled a 3,708 ft lateral in Mississippian Madison at 4,000 ft TVD.

Texas

East
Energen Corp.'s Taurus Exploration Inc. unit paid $16 million for a 9% interest in future East Texas Cotton Valley pinnacle reef trend exploration action by the Sonat Exploration Co./United Meridian Corp. joint venture.

The JV spans 195,000 gross acres of leases in Anderson, Henderson, Van Zandt, Wood, and Smith counties.

The first well, 1 Ryon in Henderson County, is a 45 mile step-out northeast of present drilling. It failed to encounter the reef target identified on 3D seismic data.

Sonat said petrophysical analysis indicates that a limestone layer in the overlying Bossier shale likely caused a false indication of the reef buildup's true location. It planned to sidetrack the well starting in mid-June.

Sonat expects a reef discovery at the 4 Blazek in the Bear Grass area of Leon County. It sidetracked that well and cut 120 ft into a reef with good gas shows. Sonat was drilling five other pinnacle reef wells in mid-June.

North
Threshold Development and Arch Petroleum Inc., both of Fort Worth, accelerated a drilling program on the 85,000 acre Yates Ranch prospect in Jack and Wise counties of the Fort Worth basin.

Five wells on the Fayette Yates lease are each flowing their discovery allowable of 130 b/d of oil on 12/64 in. choke with 250-400 psi FTP with a combined 800 Mcfd of gas.

The wells produce from the 4,700 ft Fayette Yates (Upper Caddo) formation, which was a new field discovery in the 15D well.

The 16D Billie Yates dual completion flowed 2.1 MMcfd of gas on a 10/64 in. choke at 1,250 psi FTP from the 5,200 ft Boonesville Bend conglomerate and 1.1 MMcfd on a 16/64 in. choke at 750 psi FCP from the 4,700 ft Caddo conglomerate.

The entire prospect has been shot with 3D seismic, and well cost averages $180,000, Arch reported.

Mercury Exploration Inc., Fort Worth, completed a Mississippian Barnett shale gas discovery in nonproducing Johnson County.

The 1 Miles, just north of Cresson near the Hood County line, flowed 230 Mcfd of gas with 40 b/d of water from perforations at 6,418-6,610 ft, PI reported. FTP is 235 psi on a 1 in. choke.

AFE Oil & Gas Consultants, Dallas, recently established production in Dallas County with a Barnett gas well near the Collin and Denton county lines (OGJ, May 5, 1997, p. 134).

DGS Oil LLC, Madison, Wis., staked a remote wildcat in nonproducing Fannin County.

The 1 Exel Royal LLC, 5 miles north-northwest of Honey Grove, is projected to 12,000 ft.

Nearest production is 35 miles south, and only one well in the county has exceeded 10,000 ft, PI noted.

St. Mary Operating Co., Denver, staked an exploratory test in Cooke County to Cambro-Ordovician and Ordovician zones.

The 2 Winger-Odom, in the Marietta-Sherman basin 13 miles northeast of Gainesville, is projected to 15,000 ft, PI reported. It is near the 1996 discovery well for Collums Oil Creek oil and gas field. Cooke County's deepest hole went to 14,582 ft.

West
Union Pacific Resources has drilled nearly one well per day in Ozona field in Crockett County since acquiring properties there in 1994.

UPR's sales are about 200 MMcfd of gas equivalent from Ozona, where it operates more than 1,500 wells.

The company said it is just beginning to apply its horizontal drilling expertise in West Texas and anticipates that as many as 40 horizontal wells could be connected within 2 years to Permian Basin gathering systems being acquired from Highlands Gas Corp., Englewood, Colo. (OGJ, June 16, 1997, p. 34).

Tesoro E&P Co., San Antonio, plans to lay an 11 mile gathering line and drill more wells this summer near a Pennsylvanian gas discovery in the Val Verde basin.

The B1 Earwood, about 25 miles northwest of Rocksprings in Edwards County, flowed 5.7 MMcfd of gas on a 20/64 in. choke with 2,963 psi FTP from perforations at 8,876-9,020 ft. The A1 Earwood more than 1 mile south flowed 300 Mcfd from 8,888-8,992 ft. The wells are on the 17,500 acre Vinegarone East prospect.

Mariah Energy Corp., Austin, staked a wildcat in nonproducing Presidio County, where 372 wells have been drilled, PI reported.

The 1 Berthold, 40 miles west-northwest of Marfa, is projected to 3,500 ft. It is 1/4 mile northeast of a 1987 well that production tested oil and gas from Cretaceous.

Gulf Coast

Exxon Co., USA completed an infill well in Tordilla field of Willacy County.

The 111 Kleberg, flowed 8.52 MMcfd of gas, 271 b/d of 52.5? gravity condensate, and 211 b/d of water on an 16/64 in. choke with 7,015 psi FTP from perforations in the L-90 sand of Oligocene at 11,892-908 ft, PI reported. AOF is 45.11 MMcfd.

Tordilla cumulative production is 124.4 bcf of gas and 114,936 bbl of water from Oligocene sands since discovery in 1974.

Panhandle

Sidwell Oil & Gas Inc., Amarillo, staked an Ana- darko basin wildcat north of the Shreikey/Gill Ranch gas fields area of Hemphill County.

The 1022 Rosalyn, 20 miles southwest of Miami, is projected to 16,000 ft. Deepest production in the area is from about 12,100 ft, PI reported.

Copyright 1997 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.