The Resan JV plans to drill the Pinarova potential shallow oil accumulation 6 km north of the Basur-1 oil discovery in southwest Turkey, said partner UK Oil & Gas PLC (UKOG) in a Jan. 11 release.
Pinarova has about a 9 sq km areal extent. The new Pinarova-1 well is designed to test if light oil is present in the structure in commercially viable saturations and quantities. An active light oil (41.7˚API) seep was found last summer in a seismic shot hole above the Pinarova structure and may be directly fed by an underlying light oil accumulation within Eocene Hoya group limestones 300-645 m below surface.
The presence of movable oil within Pinarova is indicated by results of the 2018 Kezer-1 shallow geothermal well, located near the apex of the Pinarova geological feature. Kezer-1 reported strong oil shows throughout the Hoya and heavily flowed oil-cut fluids to surface on a short open-hole geothermal test. Kezer-1 was deemed unsuitable for geothermal purposes and abandoned.
Both new and legacy seismic data also show a series of vertically stacked seismic amplitude anomalies within the core of Pinarova's Hoya structure, possibly directly indicating hydrocarbons and/or the development of good reservoir within the Hoya.
UKOG and its joint partner Aladdin Middle East (AME) consider Pinarova to offer similar potential success case outcomes to a Basur-4 appraisal well, but at a lower drilling cost ($0.66 million gross versus $4.12 million gross) and with a shorter time to execution and delivery.
If successful, Pinarova-1 will be completed as a pumped oil production well and would likely be followed by a Pinarova-2 well and/or a Basur-4 appraisal well drilled from a new site west of Basur-1. Drilling Pinarova-1 will begin in first-quarter 2023.
Analysis of the new Phase 2 seismic data suggests that the Basur structure extends more westwards than first mapped and can now be better appraised from a newly identified site 1 km west of the Basur-1 oil discovery. The new site will enable the core of the Basur discovery to be reached and appraised with reduced horizontal deviation than from the Basur-3 site, and without the need to drill through the major NW-SE thrust fault zone immediately to the south. The new location thus removes the potential lost circulation, stuck pipe and significant cost overrun risks associated with drilling through the heavily fractured limestones within the thrust-fault zone. The new site will, however, require a new pad and longer access track to be constructed.
The Resan JV is comprised of UKOG (50%) and AME (50%). AME is operator.
