Area Drilling

Australia

Santos Group has a gas/condensate discovery at its first Otway basin well.

The Fenton Creek 1, onshore on PEP 108 north of the Minerva offshore find and 170 km west-southwest of Melbourne, is suspended as a future gas producer (OGJ, Apr. 22, 1996, p. 83).

It flowed on a DST on a 1/2 in. surface choke 6 MMcfd of gas and 43 b/d of condensate from Late Cretaceous Waarre sandstone at 1,574-84 m. A DST in Early Cretaceous Eumeralla at 1,699-1,714 m flowed gas too small to measure on a 1/4 in. choke.

Egypt

Seagull Energy Corp., Houston, is applying for a development lease on the South Hurghada concession in the eastern desert.

Seagull's first well, Abu Marwa 1, recovered 28° gravity oil and is being completed. It is near two wells the concession's former owner completed in the Wadi el Sahl area flowing 3,900 and 1,040 b/d of oil.

Oil trucking could start by yearend until facilities are built. Seagull plans another wildcat in the Wadi el Sahl area in second quarter.

Gulf of Mexico

A group led by Basin Exploration Inc., Denver, will modify and install a used platform on Eugene Island Block 65, with production to start in third quarter 1997.

The No. 2 confirmation well cut 129 net ft of combined pay in the 13,000 ft and 13,700 ft sands, compared with 111 net ft in the discovery well. The No. 2 also cut 16 net ft of pay in the 13,300 ft sand, not productive in the discovery. Facilities are being sized for 40 MMcfd.

Interests are Basin 62.5%, Forest Oil Corp. 25%, and Blazer Energy Corp., formerly Ashland Exploration Inc., 12.5%.

California

Nuevo Energy Co., Houston, is drilling an offset and could drill as many as 10 more wells near its 8 Irwin-Berylwood, a west extension of Bardsdale field in Ventura County.

It produced 1,241 b/d of 33.8° gravity oil from an unspecified zone. Nuevo expects sustainable production to average 500-600 b/d.

Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co., Bakersfield, licensed the largest comprehensive seismic data base in California from GEOONE Corp. The package contains more than 20,000 line miles of data in all of the state's oil and gas provinces and coastal basins. The data include lines in and along Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve, the 78% U.S. government interest in which is to be sold by February 1998.

"These lines provide strong subsurface clues as to the real potential of the Elk Hills property," Tri-Valley said.

Oklahoma

Texaco E&P staked a directional deeper pool test to 19,250 ft TVD in the Sho-Vel-Tum.

The 1 Barbara Jane, in 8-3s-2w, Carter County, targets subthrust formations including Springer, Sycamore, Wooford, Hunton, and Viola.

Petroleum Information/ Dwights reported that this township contains nearly 1,000 wells. Texaco's attempt would be the deepest drilling in the sprawling Sho-Vel-Tum, where the depth mark stands at 19,018 ft.

Texas

West

Vinson Operating Co., Midland, Tex., and Sundance Oil Co., Dallas, have completed nine consecutive oil and gas wells in the Padgitt field area north of Fort Lancaster on acreage acquired from Exxon Co., USA. Exxon retains interests.

The most recent completion, Vinson 1-A Exxon, in Crockett County, is averaging 1.285 MMcfd of gas from Ordovician Connell sand perforations at 6,384-94 ft.

Midland Resources Inc., Houston, plans development drilling in Reagan, Sterling, and Tom Green counties of a Siluro-Devonian Fusselman oil and gas discovery based on interpretation of 3D seismic data.

The field has gross potential reserves estimated at 9 million bbl of oil equivalent, the company said. The 1 Sugg discovery well flowed 407 b/d of oil and 50 Mcfd of gas with 250 psi FTP on a 13/64 in. choke. As many as 12 Fusselman locations are possible.

Midland has had discoveries on three of four major 3D seismic surveys it conducted last year.

South

TransTexas Gas Corp., Houston, logged a well 3.2 miles north-northwest of Bob West North gas field that has the potential to double the field's reserves.

Electric logs at the 1 Santos, in Zapata County, indicated as much as 200 ft of pay in the Roletta and Upper Wilcox formations. It exposes a previously undrilled fault block adjacent to the Mexico border that may contain as many as 10 drilling locations.

Bob West North field covers 15,000 acres. TransTexas opened the field in 1994 about 3 miles north of the older Bob West field. Five rigs are drilling development wells in Bob West North.

Copyright 1997 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.