Gulf Coast - July 2008

1 Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. completed a Bossier discovery in northeastern Nacogdoches County (RRC Dist. 6). The #101 Trawick Gas Unit 1 is in Trawick Field, Zimri Bennett Survey, A-9. It was tested with an initial daily potential of 816,000 cu. ft. of gas and 55 bbl. of water. Trawick Field has produced from more than 350 wells, mainly in Cretaceous, since coming online in the 1940s.

2 Sugar Land, Texas-based ECA Holdings LP is making progress at its proposed 19,700-ft. wildcat approximately three miles east of the town of Danbury in eastern Brazoria County (RRC Dist. 3). The #1 BSMC is on a 2,175-acre lease in Louisiana Morton Survey, A-101. The nearest production to the site is 1.25 miles east-northeast in Danbury Dome Field. Opened in the 1930s, it produces gas and oil from Miocene and Frio above 9,600 ft., according to IHS Inc.

3 Newfield Exploration Co., Houston, is drilling its #1 John F. Kenedy Jr. approximately 30 miles southeast of Kingsville, Texas, in the Alvino & Domingo de la Garza Survey, A-37, in northern Kenedy County (RRC Dist. 4). In 2005, #41 J.G. Kenedy Jr. J was tested flowing 13.27 million cu. ft. of gas and 133 bbl. of condensate per day from Frio perforations at 16,690 and 17,666 ft. The well was drilled to a total depth of 18,135 ft. about 3.25 miles west of the current site. It has yielded 3.01 billion cu. ft. of gas and 10,574 bbl. of water as part of El Paistle Deep Field.

4 The #1 Wood is under way in the Louis Von Roeder Survey, A-285. Corpus Christi, Texas-based Esenjay Operating Inc. is drilling the 15,500-ft. test in the northwestern portion of Goliad County (RRC Dist. 2) approximately six miles southwest of Weesatche, Texas. The nearest production is less than 0.5-mile southeast in Slick Field. There, #1 O.A. Schroeter was completed in 1943 and yielded 5,350 bbl. of oil from Wilcox. Slick Field has produced a cumulative 20.32 million bbl. of oil and condensate, 23.3 billion cu. ft. of gas and 29.4 million bbl. of water since 1943.

5 Chevron USA Inc. has proposed an additional six wells for the northeastern portion of Alaminos Canyon Block 818 in 9,022-79 ft. of water. The company filed the plan as part of the Gulf of Mexico methane-hydrate joint industry project in colla­bo­ration with the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. The primary objective is to develop technology and data to help in characterizing naturally occurring gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the study hopes to gain a better understanding of how gas hydrates can affect seafloor stability. The multi-phase project began in September 2001 and will continue through September 2010.

6 A second wildcat has been slated for the northwestern quadrant of Eugene Island Block 383 offshore Louisiana. Walter Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, will drill #2 OCS G24914 in 368 ft. of water. The nearest recovery is at the bottomhole location of #A-24 OCS G02324, about 0.5-mile north-northeast on Block 361. Brought online as an oil producer, it has yielded 120,526 bbl. of oil, 109.83 million cu. ft. of gas and 43,132 bbl. of water.

7 Marlin Coastal LLC, Lafayette, La., will drill #1 OCS G27922 in the northwestern section of Ship Shoal Block 86 in 27 ft. of water. Nearest production is 0.25-mile west. In 1987, #2 OCS G03580 was tested through Miocene perforations at 11,748 and 11,812 ft. The 12,500-ft. well was tested pumping 6.48 million cu. ft. of gas and 171 bbl. of condensate per day. It yielded a cumulative 36.33 billion cu. ft. of gas, 528,967 bbl. of condensate and 271,619 bbl. of water through 1999 as part of Ship Shoal Block 72.

8 ENI U.S. Operating Co., the U.S. subsidiary of Italian firm ENI, is active at its deepwater #1 OCS G20081 in the southeastern corner of Green Canyon Block 639 on its Tahiti West prospect. The well is being drilled in 3,905 ft. of water. Tahiti is on adjacent blocks 596 and 640. First production is expected by third-quarter 2009. Tahiti Field holds an estimated 400- to 500 million bbl. of oil equivalent. It is in more than 4,000 ft. of water.

9 A wildcat has been scheduled for the southern half of Grand Isle Block 85 offshore Louisiana where Mariner Energy Inc., Houston, will drill #1 OCS G31421 in 190 ft. of water. Block 85 produced as part of South Timbalier Block 131 Field for more than 10 years and recovered 12.4 billion cu. ft. of gas, 744.2 million bbl. of condensate and crude, and 671,740 bbl. of water between 1967 and 1977.

10 Austin, Texas-based Brig­ham Exploration Co. completed its #1 State Lease 18826 as a discovery in its southern Louisiana joint venture in state waters offshore Plaquemines Parish. The first of six possible wells, the discovery is in the northwestern corner of irregular Main Pass Block 66. It encountered about 100 ft. of Miocene pay in four intervals between 7,140 and 7,680 ft. Nearest previous production is 1.25 miles east on Block 66. Main Pass Block 66 Field produced 5.72 billion cu. ft. of gas, 12 bbl. of condensate and 1.19 million bbl. of water from 1988 through 2003. The company is carrying out its 50/50 joint venture with Clayton Williams Energy Inc., Midland, Texas.

11 Clayton Williams Energy Inc. has scheduled an 18,000-ft. wildcat to be drilled in North Louisiana’s Richland Parish. The #1 Claudias Education Trust 33 is in Section 33-15n-6e and will target Bossier. There has been no production below 10,000 ft. in Richland Parish to date. Wilcox coalbed production is around four miles southwest in Woolen Lake Field.

12 A 19,000-ft. wildcat has been scheduled for the Barataria Bay portion of South Louisiana’s central Plaquemines Parish. Houston-based Swift Energy Oper­ating LLC will target the Cristelleria I with its #1 State Lease 18669 in Section 16-19s-25e. The well is designed as a northwest offset of the nearest previous drilling. In 1991, #1 State Lease 13855 was abandoned at total depth of 12,875 ft. in Cibicides carstensi. Saturday Island Field is more than a mile southwest of the wildcat. Onstream since 1957, this field has yielded 20.04 million bbl. of oil and condensate, 62.49 billion cu. ft. of gas and 72.86 million bbl. of water from the Miocene. Eleven wells are still active in the field, according to IHS Inc.

13 Dallas-based operator Ventex Operating has made a James Lime discovery in the Mississippi Salt Dome Basin in Lawrence County, Miss. The #3 McPherson et al. 32-14, in Section 32-7n-11e, was completed for 1.38 million cu. ft. of gas and 12 bbl. of water per day from perforations at 15,288-15,304 ft. On a 10/64-in. choke, pressure was gauged at 4,100 psi. The discovery is 1.5 miles southwest of Monticello Field, which produces from Hosston. The new field is named Robinwood.

14 In the western Black Warrior Basin, Houston-based operator Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has staked locations for two horizontal wildcats. The wells are in Mississippi’s Yalobusha County, which has no oil and gas production. The #2 Weyerhaeuser-Hilbun 15-13 is in Section 15-25n-7e. Projected depth is 9,000 ft. It offsets a dry hole drilled by Cabot in 2007 in the same section. The 7,800-ft. #1 Weyerhaeuser-Hilburn 15-6 tested Neal shale at 6,360-6,480 ft. and Ottawa Sand at 6,610-6,732 ft. No recovery was reported from either zone, reports IHS Inc. Cabot’s second new wildcat is #2 Williamson 33-1, in Section 33-11s-4w, some five miles northwest of the dry hole. This will also go to 9,000 ft.