Proved and probable reserves of Papua New Guinea's potentially viable fields are placed at 340 million st tk bbl recoverable of an estimated 791 million bbl of proved and probable oil in place.
If the possible category were included, the same fields contain 411 million st-tk bbl recoverable out of 1.034 billion bbl in place, a consulting firm estimated.
Scientific Software-Intercomp, Denver, carried out an audit for the country's Department of Minerals & Energy in 1990, 1991, and 1992.
SSI used recent Society of Petroleum Engineers definitions of proved, probable, and possible.
However, the economic concept was not applied to reserve categories because PNG is examining possible changes in regulations to encourage development.
The firm audited Chevron Niugini Pty. Ltd.'s Agogo, Iagifu/Hedinia/Usano, Juha, P'nyang, Southeast Hedinia, and Southeast Mananda discoveries; Barracuda Pty. Ltd.'s Barikewa, Bwata, Iehi, Kuru, Puri, and Southeast Gobe discoveries; British Petroleum Co. plc's Angore and Hides discoveries; DuPont's Tarim discovery; International Petroleum Corp.'s Pandora discovery; Santos Ltd.'s Elevala and Ketu discoveries; Trend's Uramu discovery; and the Pasca discovery, currently without an operator.
SSI listed only Agogo, Iagifu/Hed-nina/Usano, Southeast Gobe, and Southeast Mananda as potentially viable oil fields.
Gas reserves in solution and gas cap in the four fields total 1.8 tscf probably recoverable from among 2.7 tscf of probable gas in place. Only Hides field has proved gas.
Nonassociated gas in Angore, Barikewa, Bwata, Bwata, Elevala, Hides, Iehi, Juha, Ketu, P'nyang, Pandora, Southeast Hedinia, and Uramu amounts to 8.3 tscf of proved, probable, and possible recoverable. Gas in place is 11.4 tscf proved and probable and 20.1 tscf proved, probable, and possible.
Most PNG gas fields contain appreciable quantities of condensate. The larger quantities of condensate found appear too lean to merit gas cycling except Juha, SSI said. Cycling at Juya may yield 57.1 million st-tk bbl, and stripping condensate without recycling from Angore, Hides, and Southeast Hedinia should yield a further 10.3 million st-tk bbl, it estimated.
The most recent large discovery, Southeast Gobe, has probable reserves of 274.5 bscf of gas and 96.1 million st-tk bbl of oil vs. Iagifu/Hedinia/Usano's 986.8 bscf of gas and 190.5 million st-tk bbl of oil.
SSI adds that the most economically viable fields are Agogo, Angore, Bwata, Hides, Iagifu/Hedinia/Usano, Juha, Southeast Gobe, Southeast Hedinia, and Southeast Mananda under present and postulated development plans.
Copyright 1992 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
