EARLY PRODUCTION EYED FOR ITALIAN OIL FIELD

Operators are considering an early production system for an oil discovery in southern Italy. Petrex SpA, Milan, an Agip SpA unit, completed the field's second well following its 1989 discovery on the Monte Alpi permit 225 miles southeast of Rome. The second well, 2 Monte Alpi, cut 2,300 ft of net oil pay in a carbonate sequence out of a gross hydrocarbon column of 3,480 ft. Three drillstem tests and 12 cores at various intervals showed the presence of oil and natural gas throughout the

April 8, 1991

2 min read

Operators are considering an early production system for an oil discovery in southern Italy.

Petrex SpA, Milan, an Agip SpA unit, completed the field's second well following its 1989 discovery on the Monte Alpi permit 225 miles southeast of Rome.

The second well, 2 Monte Alpi, cut 2,300 ft of net oil pay in a carbonate sequence out of a gross hydrocarbon column of 3,480 ft. Three drillstem tests and 12 cores at various intervals showed the presence of oil and natural gas throughout the entire section. Total depth is 13,650 ft.

Cumulative flow exceeded 3,500 b/d of oil on five extended production tests across the entire interval.

The 1 Monte Alpi discovery well, tested in June 1989, established the presence of hydrocarbons on the exploration permit in the southern Apennine mountains in Potenza province. That well flowed about 1,000 b/d of oil and 1.1 MMcfd of gas.

Encor Inc., Calgary, which has a 20% interest in the Monte Alpi and adjacent Monte Sirino permit, recognized 5.1 million bbl of oil reserves for the discovery well and added 6.2 million bbl of oil and 15.2 bcf of gas, net proved and probable reserves, with completion of 2 Monte Alpi.

More delineation and development wells are needed before permanent facilities can be designed and built. The early production scheme is believed to involve trucking the oil.

Encor said it sees the potential to substantially increase its reserves through further delineation of the structure.

The Monte Alpi permit covers 85,035 acres in a sparsely explored basin.

An exploratory well, 1 Cerro Falcone, is to be spudded on the 86,082 acre Monte Sirino permit during second quarter 1991. Site is on trend with the 1 Monte Alpi discovery well.

Petrex holds a 60% working interest in the permits, and Enterprise Oil Exploration Ltd., a unit of Enterprise Oil plc, London, holds 20%.