Cairn completes Mangala oil field appraisal drilling

Cairn Energy PLC, London, conducting an extensive exploration and appraisal program across its 5,000 sq km onshore Block RJ-ON-90/1 in the Rajasthan basin in northern Rajasthan, India, has confirmed the distribution and connectivity of the reservoir sands across Mangala field, and after drilling Mangala-5 and Mangala-6 appraisal wells, has successfully concluded its appraisal drilling campaign in Mangala oil field.

July 12, 2004

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, July 12 -- Cairn Energy PLC, London, conducting an extensive exploration and appraisal program across its 5,000 sq km onshore Block RJ-ON-90/1 in the Rajasthan basin in northern Rajasthan, India, has confirmed the distribution and connectivity of the reservoir sands across Mangala field, and after drilling its Mangala-5 and Mangala-6 appraisal wells, has successfully concluded its appraisal drilling campaign in Mangala oil field.

Mangala-5, drilled 1.5 km updip of the Mangala-1 discovery well and 2 km from Mangala-3, encountered 125 net m of high quality oil-bearing Fatehgarh sands. In addition, an oil column of 30 m was encountered in fractured basement above the field's oil-water contact. In open-hole drill stem tests, Zone 1 flowed at 1,786 b/d on a 80/64-in. choke, and Zone 2 flowed at 2,153 b/d on a 72/64-in. choke

Mangala-6 was drilled 2 km from Mangala-5 and 750 m from Mangala-3 at the southern end of the field. The well encountered 69 net m of high quality oil-bearing Fatehgarh sands.

A 3D seismic survey over Mangala and NA fields, begun in late May, is to complete in the fourth quarter, and first production from Mangala field is planned for late 2007.