Transocean Nordic jack up rig testing Elf's HP/HT gas/condensate discovery near Elgin-Franklin on Block 29/4d. Photo courtesy of Elf.In March, Elf Exploration U.K. plc disclosed a gas-condensate discovery near its Elgin and Franklin fields, which are currently under development.
Joel Fort, Elf Exploration U.K.'s Central Graben asset manager, said the Elgin-Franklin-Shearwater area is underexplored, as was proved by the recent discovery on Block 29/4d, known provisionally as West Elgin.
"Early seismic did not show any prospects in this area," said Fort, "because it is very deep and the reservoirs are high-pressure, high-temperature structures.
"And until a few years ago, we could not have developed such finds. We have had to participate in the development of HP-HT technology so we could develop Elgin and Franklin."
The recent Block 29/4d find was made less than 5 km to the southwest of Elgin field and was said by Fort to have a fluid composition close to that of Franklin field (see story, p. 18).
The discovery well flowed 23 MMcfd of gas and 2,100 b/d of "good quality" condensate from a limited section of the reservoir. Elf hopes to develop the discovery as a satellite of the Elgin field platform.
Analysts have estimated West Elgin reserves at about 100 million boe. The find is in a deeper reservoir than Elgin-Franklin.
The discovery well was completed as a potential producer.
However, any anticipated development of West Elgin would require 15,000 psi subsea wellheads, which are not yet available but are being developed. Elf has no other immediate drilling prospects lined up in the Elgin-Franklin vicinity, but has "a number of ideas for exploration concepts" lined up.
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