88 Energy Ltd. started drilling the Hickory-1 exploration well in Project Phoenix (formerly Icewine East) on the North Slope of Alaska.
The well was spudded Mar. 9 by Nordic Calista’s Rig-2 and is designed to appraise up to six conventional reservoir targets within the SMD, SFS, BFF, and KUP reservoirs and 647 million bbl of oil, the company said (OGJ Online, Feb. 6, 2023). The well is permitted to a total depth (TD) of up to 12,500 ft.
Primary targets for Hickory-1 are three SMD reservoirs (SMD-C, B, and A), with SFS and BFF reservoirs considered secondary targets. The KUP reservoir is a tertiary target and will be drilled subject to remaining time in the season, borehole conditions, and other technical considerations, 88 Energy said.
The well is expected to to be drilled initially to 3,500 ft with surface casing installed and blow-out preventer system tested. The work is expected to take up to 2 weeks to perform. Drilling to TD is then expected to take another 2 weeks, including logging while drilling (LWD), at which point wireline logging is scheduled. LWD and mudlogging will provide initial indications as to the prospectivity of the Hickory-1 targets, 88 Energy said.
The wireline program has been designed to collect data necessary to optimize the future flow testing program. This includes multiple side wall coring runs and other tools to enable detailed reservoir characterization.
Flow testing is planned for the 2023-24 winter season, subject to well results.
