AFRICA

Circle Oil strikes gas in Morocco

Circle Oil has made a “significant gas discovery” following the preliminary results of drilling of the well KSR-12 in the Sebou permit onshore Morocco, the company said in a news release. The well was drilled to a total depth of 1,980 m (6,496 ft). Gas shows, which were confirmed by wireline logging, were encountered at two different levels within the objective Hoot sands, the release said. The net gas pay encountered in the well from wireline log analysis is 19.5 m (64 ft) in the main target Intra Hoot sands and 1 m (3 ft) in the Upper Hoot. This is greater than predrill sand thickness expectations.

AUSTRALIA

Santos, Drillsearch make wet gas discovery

The PEL 513 joint venture (Drillsearch Energy Ltd., 40%; Santos, 60% and operator) made its second wet gas discovery in the license in the Cooper Basin, Australia, according to a press release. The Yarowinnie South-1 well was drilled to a total depth of 3,142 m (10,308 ft) as an exploration well southwest of the Varanus South-1 discovery. Drillsearch’s preliminary interpretation of wireline logs has confirmed an aggregate best estimate of almost 15 m (49 ft) of net gas pay over several intervals in the Patchawarra Formation totaling a gross Patchawarra interval of 410 m (1,345 ft).

ASIA-PACIFIC

Statoil gains New Zealand permits

Statoil has been awarded four new exploration permits offshore New Zealand. The permits were awarded by the New Zealand government through the 2014 Block Offer. Statoil will participate in three blocks in the East Coast and Pegasus basins as a partner and is taking on operatorship for one new permit next to existing acreage in the Reinga Basin. Blocks 57083, 57085 and 57087 are awarded with Chevron as operator and both companies holding a 50% working interest. The initial phase of the project will consist of data collection. Block 57057 is awarded to Statoil with a 100% working interest. Statoil has committed to acquire 200 km (124 miles) of 2-D seismic data within the permit.

CNOOC makes gas find in South China Sea

CNOOC Ltd. has made a new mid- to large-sized natural gas deepwater discovery, Lingshui 25-1, in the northeast part of Ledong Sag in South China Sea’s Qiongdongnan Basin. The discovery well was drilled and completed at a depth of about 4,000 m (13,123 ft) and encountered the oil and gas pay zone with a total thickness of about 73 m (240 ft), the release said. The well was tested to produce about 1 MMcm (35.6 MMcf) of natural gas and 395 bbl/d. Lingshui 25-1 follows CNOOC’s Lingshui 17-2 deepwater discovery.

EUROPE

Eni farms in to blocks offshore Portugal

Eni has entered Portugal’s upstream oil and gas sector after finalizing an agreement with Petrogal, a subsidiary of Galp Energia, according to a news release. As part of the agreement, Eni will acquire a 70% stake and operatorship of the Gamba, Santola and Lavagante permits. The agreement will guarantee exploration rights for an unexplored area of 9,100 sq km (3,514 sq miles) offshore Portugal. The exploration permits were awarded to Petrogal in 2007 by the Portuguese State.

RUSSIA CIS

M-22 well in Ukraine finds gas in multiple zones

The Makeevskoye-22 (M-22) exploration well has encountered gas in six zones after reaching a depth of 3,629 m (11,906 ft), Serinus Energy Inc. said. Two of those zones appear to be net pay, with the other four having resource potential. M-22 was spud on Oct. 1, 2014, and is located on the southwest side of the major fault that runs through the Makeevskoye and Olgovskoye licenses. Log results show the S6 zone encountered 12 m (39 ft) net pay and the S13a encountered 6 m (20 ft) net pay. The net thickness of the S5 zone was 4 m (13 ft); S7, 3.5 m (11 ft); S13, 8.5 m (28 ft); and S13b, 6 m (20 ft), a press release said.

MIDDLE EAST

Kuwait Energy makes second oil find in Block 9

The consortium comprised of Kuwait Energy (70% and operator) and Dragon Oil (30%) has made its second oil discovery at Block 9 in Iraq, Kuwait Energy said in a news release. The discovery was at the consortium's second target, the Yamama Formation at 4,000 m (13,123 ft), in its Block 9 exploration well, Faihaa-1, located in Northern Basra in Iraq, the release said. Preliminary tests of the Faihaa-1 Yamama Formation resulted in oil flow rates of between 5,000 bbl/d and 8,000 bbl/d of 35˚API crude on 32/64-in. and 64/64-in. chokes, respectively.

Marathon, Total make discovery in Kurdistan region

Located 60 km (37 miles) from the city of Erbil, Iraq, the Jisik-1 discovery well on the Harir Block was drilled to a depth of 4,511 m (14,800 ft) and encountered light oil and gas with condensate intervals in Jurassic and Triassic carbonate reservoirs, according to a press release. Jisik is the second discovery in the block, following the Mirawa-1 discovery. The Jisik-1 well encountered light oil of 43˚API in a Jurassic carbonate reservoir. The well was tested with flow rates of 6,100 bbl/d of anhydrous oil without stimulation. Two other formation tests, both with flow rates of about 283 Mcm/d to 425 Mcm/d (10 MMcf/d to 15 MMcf/d), confirmed the presence of gas reservoirs together with associated condensate in the Triassic.

NORTH AMERICA

Woodside farms in to blocks offshore Nova Scotia

Woodside has finalized an agreement with BP to farm in to offshore blocks in the Scotian Basin located off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. BP accepted Woodside’s offer to acquire a 20% participating interest in exploration licenses 2431, 2432, 2433 and 2434. BP will remain operator. The licenses cover 14,000 sq km (5,405 sq miles) in water depths ranging from 500 m to 3,600 m (1,640 ft to 11,811 ft). The future work program is anticipated to include the drilling of exploration wells from 2017. The transaction is subject to required government and regulatory approvals.

GULF OF MEXICO

Chevron strikes oil in deepwater U.S. GoM

Chevron Corp. said it has made a significant oil discovery at the Anchor prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Anchor is Chevron’s second discovery in the deepwater GoM in less than a year. The Green Canyon Block 807 Well No. 2 encountered oil pay in multiple Lower Tertiary Wilcox Sands. The well, which was spudded in August 2014, is located about 225 km (140 miles) off the coast of Louisiana in 1,580 m (5,183 ft) of water and was drilled to a depth of 10,287 m (33,749 ft). Appraisal drilling will begin in 2015.

SOUTH AMERICA

Exxon Mobil makes second shale find in Vaca Muerta

Exxon Mobil Corp. successfully drilled its second shale oil and gas well this year in Argentina. The Invernada X-3 well, located in the Vaca Muerta unconventional deposit in Neuquén province, is producing 448 bbl/d of oil and 28 Mcm/d (1 MMcf/d) of gas, Exxon said in a statement. Exxon owns 85% of the venture, with provincial energy producer Gas y Petróleo del Neuquén SA controlling the remainder. The Invernada well is located 20 km (12 miles) from Bajo del Choique, the first well discovered in May, and was drilled at a depth of 4,686 m (15,374 ft).

Petrobras confirms oil accumulation in Sergipe Basin

The results of drilling well 9-SES-188D/9-BRSA-1280D-SES confirm the light oil and gas discovery in the Farfan area (between 37ºAPI and 40ºAPI), Petrobras said in a press release. The results presented excellent permoporosity conditions in the turbidites reservoirs with 54-m (177-ft) thickness. The well is located at concession area BM-SEAL-11, in block SEAL-M-426, in Sergipe Basin ultradeep waters.

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