International Petroleum Libya Ltd. plans to start production in 1999 from En Naga North field in the southwestern Sirte basin of Libya.
IPL, a unit of Red Sea Oil Corp., and Lundin Oil AB, Stockholm, spudded one of two planned appraisal wells. They plan to continue exploring a large unevaluated portion of Block NC177.
Appraisal drilling began with the B2 well at En Naga North field in the southwestern Sirte basin as the companies commenced a 65 km, 2D seismic program in the field.
Next they will evaluate 7,000 sq km in southeastern Block NC177 with a 1,600 km 2D seismic program. They will integrate that data with reinterpreted old seismic data and results of a recent gravity survey.
The B1 discovery well, drilled in late 1997, flowed a combined 6,517 b/d of 42-48° gravity oil, natural, on five drillstem tests. Pump assisted production rates would be significantly higher in at least one of the zones, Lundin said. The main reservoirs are Paleocene Zelten and Eocene Facha carbonates at 5,000-7,000 ft. Gross pay thickness is 542 ft.
The companies will re-enter the 1968 J1-85 well 3 km from the discovery well. B2, 2 km southeast of the discovery well, is to go to 8,500 ft. The other new well will be drilled 3 km northwest of the discovery well.
Field production is to start and exploratory drilling to resume in 1999.
Correction
Errors appeared on illustrations in the article titled, Mesozoic basins of eastern N. America: Exploration target whose time has come (OGJ, July 20, 1998, p. 94).
On Fig. 1 the area shown as Norfolk basin should be the Baltimore Canyon, and on Fig. 6 the wellsites of the Eastern 1 Stern Farm and North Central 1 Parestis wells are reversed.
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