Anadarko outlines gulf deepwater program

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Mar. 22 – Anadarko Petroleum Corp., fresh from being apparent high bidder on 48 deepwater tracts in last week’s Gulf of Mexico federal lease sale, revealed success at the Shell Offshore Inc.-operated Vito appraisal well in which it participated.

Drilled to 31,000 ft in 4,050 ft of water, the Vito appraisal well cut more than 600 net ft of high-quality oil pay in thick, subsalt Miocene sands, Anadarko said. Another sidetrack appraisal well is planned for 2010.

The sidetrack appraisal well in Mississippi Canyon Block 940, is more than 1 mile from the 2009 Vito oil discovery, of which Anadarko was the initial operator. Block interests are Shell 55%, Statoil USA E&P Inc. 25%, and Anadarko 10%.

Bidding alone and with partners in sale 213, Anadarko was successful on 48 of 53 total bids, representing a net $128 million in spending. The bids are subject to approval by the US Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service.

Anadarko said its apparent high bids were focused mainly on high-impact targets that can be drilled in the near to mid-term in the Miocene and Pliocene plays, several of which are considered to be on trend with the company’s recent Lucius and Vito discoveries and subsequent successful appraisal wells.

With the new blocks, Anadarko will have access to 618 blocks covering 3.5 million gross acres, making it the deepwater gulf’s largest independent leaseholder.

During 2010, the company plans to drill four to six exploration wells and three to four appraisal wells in the deepwater gulf.