Kurdistan well hits pressure below Shiranish

Alan Petzet
OGJ Chief Editor-Exploration

HOUSTON, Feb. 8 – Well control measures are being implemented at the Kurdamir-1 indicated discovery in the northern part of the 2,120 sq km Kalar Bawanoor Block 44 in the southern part of Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

WesternZagros Resources Ltd., Calgary, block operator with 40% interest, has drilled an 8-1/2-in. hole to 4,077 m and has penetrated the Aaliji seal and the Cretaceous Shiranish reservoir target and drilled into the Gulneri seal, where it encountered a high pressure zone.

Numerous oil and gas shows encountered while drilling through the Aaliji and Shiranish formations are to be logged and tested through 7-in. casing.

The well flowed at combined, equipment-limited rates of 27.5 MMcfd of gas and 1,172 b/d of 61° gravity condensate from Oligocene Pilaspi-Jaddala carbonates drillstem tested at 2,195-2,235 m and 2,280-2,352 m in late 2009.

Independent geochemical evaluation indicates the condensate is from an oil-prone source and is likely to be associated with an oil column deeper in the Kurdamir structure. A follow-up flank well is under consideration.

The Aaliji seal was thicker than prognosed and the Shiranish and Gulneri seal were deeper than prognosed. A revised depth and pressure prediction for the Cretaceous Qamchuqa reservoir target exceeds the well’s safety limit, and no deeper drilling will take place.

Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, has 40% interest in the well, and the Kurdistan Regional Government owns 20%.