By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 8 -- Log-while-drilling tools indicated an encouraging 150 gross ft of resistive zones at the Blueberry Hill deep gas exploratory sidetrack well in Louisiana State Lease 340 just off western St. Mary Parish on the Gulf of Mexico shelf, said McMoRan Exploration Co., New Orleans.
McMoRan plans to deepen the well, now at 21,900 ft true vertical depth, to 24,000 ft after it resolves an undisclosed mechanical issue.
The wellsite is in 10 ft of water southeast of Mound Point oil and gas field, discovered in 1958.
McMoRan reentered an existing well bore on Mar. 29 and sidetracked to target Miocene Gyro sands downdip on the flank of the structure encountered in the original Blueberry Hill well. It plans to run wireline logs across the resistive zones. Deepening to 24,000 ft is to evaluate other prospective sands found in the first well.
The Blueberry Hill structure, an example of McMoRan’s deeper pool concept, appears to have large reserve potential and further development and exploration opportunities, the company said. It is 11 miles southeast of Flatrock, another deeper pool field with six wells capable of totaling 300 MMcfd of gas equivalent.
Blueberry Hill represents the deeper expression of the structural features of the shallower Mound Point field, which has produced more than 2.5 tcf of gas equivalent from multiple wells above 12,500 ft.
McMoRan has 42.9% working interest and 29.7% net revenue interest in the Blueberry Hill well and controls 150,000 gross acres in the Tiger Shoal-Mound Point area covering federal OCS Block 310 and state lease 340. Plains Exploration & Production Co., Houston, has 47.9% working interest.
