Elf Enterprise Caledonia Ltd. plans to conduct extensive 2-D and 3-D seismic surveys off the U.K. this year as part of the company's campaign to replace 100 million bbl/year of reserves.
The intensive seismic program, which could see more than 50,000 line km of data acquired, will be followed by drilling in 1993.
Elf Enterprise was created last year through the purchase of Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s assets in the U.K. North Sea.
SEISMIC PROGRAM
The seismic effort will be divided among Elf Enterprise's core Blocks 15/17, 14/19, 14/8a, and 15/27a, which hold Piper, Saltire, Chanter, Claymore, and Scapa fields, and other targets in the English Channel and Central and Viking grabens in the North Sea.
In the core area, Elf Enterprise will conduct about 10,800 line km of 3-D seismic in Block 15/17 holding Piper, Saltire, and Chanter fields. For exploration purposes, the interest is in the southern part of the block, which is not fully understood because of limited seismic data acquired in 1982.
Acquisition of new 3-D data in core Blocks 14/18a and 14/19, which started last year, is almost complete. First interpretations should be available at midyear.
Outside the core area, Elf Enterprise plans surveys in Blocks 29/6a and 22/19a in the Central Graben and Block 210/29a in the Viking Graben.
And in the English Channel where Oxy pioneered drilling off the Isle of Wight, 2-D and 3-D surveys will be carried out in Blocks 98/12 and 98/16a and 98/16b.
Elf Enterprise also will participate in two 3-D surveys by other operators.
Union Texas North Sea will operate in Block 21/2 just south of Elf Enterprise's core area. In the southern gas basin, Conoco U.K. Ltd. will acquire data in Block 44/27.
BIG MAC
In its first full year of operation, Elf Enterprise sees significant opportunities in its core blocks and cites success of the recent Big MAC (Main Area Claymore) appraisal well 14/19c-61 in Claymore field.
Big MAC is a new fault block that had been partially depleted across the fault and was not previously identified from seismic and geological mapping conducted in 1982.
Elf Enterprise reprocessed data using the latest technology. The fault was detected with strong evidence of an extension of Claymore field. A well drilled last July flowed 4,500 b/d and is on production.
Reinterpreting old seismic data also led to an extension of Scapa field.
Christian Chomat, vice-president of Elf Enterprise exploration, said as well as exploring in the core area, the company will compete for acreage in future U.K. licensing rounds and expand its portfolio by license acquisitions and farmouts.
Copyright 1992 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
