SHOWS REPORTED FOR HUNT WILDCAT IN NEWFOUNDLAND

Signs of encouragement at a rank wildcat drilled by Hunt Oil Co. in western Newfoundland may soon lead to more exploratory drilling there. Sources in western Newfoundland have reported the well found liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, said John D. Harper, professor of petroleum geology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's.

June 26, 1995

2 min read

Signs of encouragement at a rank wildcat drilled by Hunt Oil Co. in western Newfoundland may soon lead to more exploratory drilling there.

Sources in western Newfoundland have reported the well found liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, said John D. Harper, professor of petroleum geology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's.

Hunt, of Dallas, last week said it planned no comment on its 1 Port au Port wildcat, spudded last fall as a 4,600 m test of Carboniferous and Cambro-Ordovician sediments on the eastern edge of the Anticosti basin. The basin covers much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (see maps, OGJ, Sept. 12, 1994, pp. 100-101).

Hunt and 50-50 partner PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd., Calgary, have 2 years of confidentiality on well data and 5 years on seismic data.

The Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board in late May granted Hunt an option to extend the lease on one of its two offshore blocks through mid-June 1996 from Jan. 15, 1996. Bay area waters freeze in winter, making full scale operations difficult.

Hunt previously conducted an offshore wellsite survey in St. George's Bay about 8 km southwest of Cape St. George, Rex Gibbons, minister of natural resources, Government of New- foundland and Labrador, told the Newfoundland Ocean Industries Association last week.

The survey is believed to have covered a separate, larger structure than the one Hunt drilled onshore.

OTHER ACTIVITY

In other action, Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, plans to spud a well by yearend 1995 to earn a 50% interest from Vinland Petroleum Inc., St. John's, Newf., in 444,780 acre Exploration License 1008. The license, examined earlier by Marathon Oil Co., covers St. George's Bay south of the Port an Port peninsula.

One report indicated Talisman will drill a 14,000 ft directional wildcat under the bay from shore,

Mobil Oil Canada Ltd. is determining whether to drill on two offshore blocks it holds north and northeast of the peninsula. Canadian Roxana Resources Ltd., Tulsa, has been unable to attract funds to drill a well on onshore Block 93- 101, southeast across the bay from the Hunt-PanCanadian well. Roxana's license expires July 4, 1995.

Newfoundland plans to hold another licensing round soon onshore, where about 741,000 acres are under license. Including offshore blocks, oil companies hold more than 5.4 million acres in western Newfoundland.