Kosmos Energy Ltd., Dallas, will plug the Oldfield exploration well as it did not encounter commercial quantities of hydrocarbons. The well, jointly owned by Hess Corp. (60%), was designed to test a sub-salt Miocene prospect in Mississippi Canyon, US Gulf of Mexico, targeting 10 MMboe net to Kosmos (OGJ Online, Nov. 26, 2019).
Oldfield was drilled to a total depth of 6,500 m by the Valaris 8503 semisubmersible drilling rig in 1,500 m of water.
Kosmos expects to record $24 million of exploration expense related to drilling the exploration well, split 60:40 between fourth-quarter 2019 and this year’s first quarter.
The Valaris 8503 will move to Kodiak field to begin drilling and completion operations on a new infill producer well. Kosmos plans to drill three additional infrastructure-led exploration wells in the Gulf of Mexico this year.