High test rates for Apache's Phiops-5 well

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, June 11 -- Apache Corp., Houston, said the Phiops-5 appraisal well in Egypt tested 8,279 b/d of crude and 400 Mcfd of natural gas from the Cretaceous Alam El Buieb (AEB) formation—one of the highest test rates ever measured in the Western Desert.

Phiops is the largest of five fields discovered since 2006 by Apache and its joint venture partner, Khalda Petroleum Co., in the Faghur basin. This emerging Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous oil play in the extreme southwest portion of the desert will be further explored through additional wildcat drilling and acquisition of 180,000 acres (740 sq km) of new 3D seismic data.

A pipeline from Phiops to the Khepri-Sethos facilities is to be completed in July. High-pressure pumps and additional storage at Kalabsha and Khepri-Sethos are expected to increase production capacity in the Kalabsha area from 4,000 b/d to 20,000 b/d in early 2010.

Phiops field lies in the South Umbarka concession 2.5 miles northwest of Apache's Kalabsha field. Phiops-5 was tested through perforated intervals totaling 72 ft within a 374-ft hydrocarbon column containing 242 ft of net pay across the AEB 3E and 3G units.

The Phiops-1X discovery, drilled in late 2008, encountered 173 ft of oil pay in the AEB formation (OGJ Online, Apr. 30, 2009). It was completed earlier this year as an oil producer in the Jurassic Safa formation after testing 2,278 b/d of oil and 5.16 MMcfd of gas. Apache is drilling two additional wells at Phiops with three more planned for 2009.