Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, Sept. 6 -- Centurion Petroleum Corp. has discovered oil in southern Egypt with the Baraka-1 exploration well, the company reported on Sept. 4. Testing of the Early Cretaceous Abu Ballas formation produced 150 b/d of oil from a 39 ft perforated interval.
The recovered oil was 37° gravity, with a wax content similar to the crude oil currently produced and exported in large quantities in Sudan. The well, which was drilled in the Komombo Concession in Upper Egypt, reached a TD of 8712 ft and penetrated several oil-bearing zones. Baraka tested different volumes of oil from three additional intervals in the deeper early Cretaceous section. The company is calculating the size of the reserves and potential productivity.
The find could affect the economic development of Upper Egypt, which is outside of the country's traditional producing areas. Dana Gas, the parent of Centurion Petroleum, plans to bring the oil on production as early as possible using existing transportation and refining facilities. It also will continue an aggressive exploration and appraisal program in the area.
The Komombo concession is 700 km from Cairo and 320 km from the closest refinery at Assiut. Early oil production from this discovery may be transported by rail or Nile river barges to the Assiut refinery to the North, Dana Gas added.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].