Privately owned Corallian Energy Ltd. has spudded an offshore appraisal well south of Wytch Farm oil field in southern England.
The Ensco 72 jack up is drilling the 98/11a-5 well on License P1918, appraising a 1986 discovery designated Colter. The Colter well recovered oil on test from the Triassic Sherwood sandstone, the main reservoir at Wytch Farm.
Corallian says recently merged and reprocessed 3D seismic data indicate potential updip of the discovery well. It expects drilling to target depth of 1,830 m to take 3 weeks.
If the appraisal well is commercially successful, it will be plugged and abandoned. Development would occur with extended-reach wells such as those that developed Wytch Farm.
Corallian holds a 49% interest in the license.
Wytch Farm has been on production since 1979. The field now produces about 14,000 boe/d of oil and gas and 350,000 b/d of water, which is reinjected, according to Perenco, the operator.
