China's biggest offshore producer has another hefty oil strike a stone's throw from its producing fields in the South China Sea.
CACT Operators Group found oil in multiple sands with its Huizhou 32-5-1 discovery well on Block 16/08 in the Pearl River Mouth basin off Hong Kong. CACT tested three zones, two of which were successful and flowed crude oil at a combined rate of 6,900 b/d.
CACT partners are Agip SpA, Chevron Corp., China's state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. (Cnooc), and Texaco Inc.
The find is near Huizhou 32-2 and 32-3 oil fields, which started production last year, and only 3.7 km southeast of Huizhou 26-1 oil field, which started production in 1991 and serves as a gathering point for the area's oil fields.
Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc. Pres. Richard Matzke said production from Huizhou 32-5-1 could be tied to Huizhou 26-1 platform via a number of development options if appraisal drilling confirms field commerciality.
The discovery will be appraised early in 1997, following interpretation of a recently acquired 3D seismic survey.
CACT also operates a fourth field on Block 16/08, Huizhou 21-1. Production from all four fields in the Pearl River Mouth basin recently reached a record 120,000 b/d of oil.
Agip, Chevron, and Texaco formed the ACT Operators Group in 1983 for exploration and development in the South China Sea. The group drilled its first discovery in the area in 1985. As of Jan. 1 this year, Cnooc joined the group, changing the name to the current one.
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