RUSSIA CIS

Rosneft discovers new hydrocarbon deposits

Four new hydrocarbon deposits were discovered at Rosneft’s license blocks in Eastern Siberia. The increase in proven recoverable oil and condensate reserves was more than 10 million tonnes with gas reserves at 12 Bcm (424 Bcf). Three new deposits were discovered in the Irkutsk region at the Mogdinskiy license area within the Savostyanov field following the results of Mogdinskaya-10 exploration well drilling: one oil and gas condensate and two gas condensate deposits, according to a news release. Testing of a new exploration well in the North-Danilovskoe field (Danilovskiy license area) also resulted in commercial oil, gas, and condensate flows.

MIDDLE EAST

Noble encounters gas offshore Israel

Noble Energy said its Tamar Southwest (SW) exploration well encountered approximately 108 m (355 ft) of net natural gas pay within the targeted Miocene intervals offshore Israel. Tamar SW, which was drilled to a total depth of 5,310 m (17,420 ft) in 1,647 m (5,405 ft) of water, is the company’s eighth consecutive discovery in the Levant basin, it said. The field is located approximately 13 km (8 miles) southwest of the Tamar field, which began producing in early 2013. Evaluation of drilling data and wireline logs confirmed the range of gross resources of the field to be between 18 Bcm and 22 Bcm (640 Bcf and 770 Bcf) of gas. The well encountered high-quality reservoir sands, with per well productivity anticipated to be approximately 7 MMcm/d (250 MMcf/d) of gas.

Tethys: Oman well yields record flow rates

The sixth well (B4EW4-6) of an appraisal program in Block 4 onshore Oman (B4EW4) has yielded flow rates in excess of 3,000 b/d from the Lower Buah reservoir section of the Nafun carbonate group, Tethys Oil said in a news release. This is the third appraisal well into this reservoir section on the structure, and it was drilled approximately 1,100 m (3,609 ft) northeast from the discovery well (B4EW4-1). This well also confirmed the reservoir extension in the northeastern direction, opening it up for continued appraisal drilling farther away from the discovery well, the release said.

ASIA-PACIFIC

ONGC to spend $9 billion developing oil finds in India

Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) plans to spend about US $9 billion over the next decade to produce crude oil and natural gas discovered in new blocks off India’s east coast. Production from three wells drilled in the Bay of Bengal last year is commercially viable, Director N.K. Verma said, citing a report sent to the oil ministry’s Directorate General of Hydrocarbons. The new reserves will be developed along with the earlier gas finds in the area, and output may start in 2016, he said.

Senex Energy’s Acrasia-6 well hits oil

Senex Energy Ltd.’s Acrasia-6 well intersected 31 m (102 ft) of net oil pay and an additional 15 m (49 ft) of possible net oil pay, extending the productive life of the Acrasia oil field in the northeast of South Australia’s Cooper-Eromanga basin, the company said in a press release. Acrasia-6 is a deviated appraisal well located approximately 300 m (984 ft) south of Acrasia-1, which has produced from the mid-Tinchoo formation since 2002. The appraisal well was designed to assess the extent of the Acrasia Hutton sandstone oil accumulation; produce unswept oil in the Birkhead, Poolowanna, and Tinchoo sandstone reservoirs; and evaluate the potential of the Arrabury formation.

NORTH AMERICA

Artisan gains interest in Alberta’s Provost area

Artisan Energy Corp. has signed a purchase and sale agreement with Magnum Energy Inc. to acquire Magnum’s 50% working interest in 2,720 gross acres (1,360 net acres) of land in the Provost area of Alberta, according to a news release. Current production from the Provost asset is approximately 80 gross boe/d (approximately 40 net boe/d) comprised of 90% light oil producing from the Viking zone.

BW Offshore snaps up tanker for FPSO targets

BW Offshore has exercised an option to buy a very large crude carrier (VLCC) for US $83.4 million as the company targets a number of FPSO projects. The company said in a press release the Blue Opal vessel was bought from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). The vessel is a VLCC (320,000 deadweight tonnage) from 2012 designed and built by DSME. BW Offshore said it has performed detailed engineering studies and inspections of the VLCC since 4Q 2012 and is “currently evaluating several FPSO projects suitable for the vessel,” according to the release.

GULF OF MEXICO

EPL gains GoM assets from Nexen

EPL Oil & Gas Inc. announced that it has executed a purchase and sale agreement to acquire oil and natural gas assets in the shallow-water central GoM from Nexen Petroleum Offshore US Inc. for US $70.4 million. The Eugene Island 258/259 field consists of five leases – 254, 255, 257, 258, and 259 – all of which are at 100% working interest. The assets are currently producing approximately 900 boe/d net, about 95% of which is oil. EPL estimates the proved reserves as of the Sept. 1, 2013, effective date consist of approximately 2.6 MMboe of proved developed producing reserves, about 91% of which is oil.

AFRICA

Statoil makes another gas find offshore Tanzania

Statoil and Exxon-Mobil, its partner offshore East Africa, have confirmed a fifth gas find in prolific ultra-deepwater Block 2 off the coast of Tanzania. The discovery of an additional 56.6 Bcm to 85 Bcm (2 Tcf to 3 Tcf) of natural gas in place in the Mronge-1 well brings the total of in-place volumes up to 481 Bcm to 566 Bcm (17 Tcf to 20 Tcf) in the block, Statoil said in a press release. Mronge-1 was drilled by the drillship Discoverer Americas and is located 20 km (12 miles) north of the Zafarani discovery in 2,500 m (8,202 ft) of water. The Mronge-1 well discovered gas at two separate levels.

IPR discovers gas in Egypt’s Western Desert

IPR announced the discovery of a significant gas condensate field in its Alamein concession located in the Western Desert of Egypt, according to an IPR press release. IPR, operator of the concession, pursued a new play concept for several years targeting the untapped Alam El-Bueib (AEB) formation in the Yidma-11X well. The discovery well, located 130 km (81 miles) southwest of the city of Alexandria, encountered both gas and condensate at a depth of 3,658 m (12,000 ft). The well tested 405 Mcm/d (14.3 MMcf/d) of gas and 1,000 b/d condensate of 53° API gravity with no water produced.

SOUTH AMERICA

Petrobras discovers first oil in deepwater Potiguar basin

Petrobras has discovered an oil accumulation on concession BM-POT-17, the first in the deep waters of Potiguar basin, in its portion located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, according to a news release. The discovery was made while drilling well 1-BRSA-1205-RNS (1-RNS-158), informally known as Pitu, at a water depth of 1,731 m (5,679 ft) and 55 km (34 miles) off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte state. The oil column was confirmed through log data and fluid samples, which will be characterized through laboratory analysis.

Trinity hits oil offshore Trinidad

Trinity has discovered oil at its TGAL-1 exploration well within the Galeota license offshore Trinidad, according to a news release. The well intersected five oil-bearing reservoir packages including 23 m (76 ft) of net oil sand in the G-sand, 32 m (104 ft) of net oil sand in the H-sand, 49 m (162 ft) of net oil sand in the M-sand, 36 m (118 ft) of net oil sand in the N-sand, and 27 m (87 ft) of net oil sand in the O-sand, the release said. The well was initially planned to be drilled to a total depth of 1,981 m (6,500 ft) but is currently being plugged and abandoned at 1,736 m (5,694 ft) as no hydrocarbons nor reservoir quality sand were encountered below the 13 3/ 8 -in. casing point at 1,330 m (4,362 ft).

EUROPE

Eni announces discovery at Barents Sea well

Eni has made a new offshore oil and gas discovery in the Norwegian Barents Sea, approximately 240 km (149 miles) from Hammerfest, the company said in a press release. The well, which is located in the Skavl prospect in the PL532 license, has been drilled 5 km (3 miles) south of the Johan Castberg area. The well has confirmed good-quality oil and gas in Jurassic and Triassic sandstone, with volumes of recoverable oil estimated at between 20 MMbbl and 50 MMbbl. The discovery is part of Eni’s joint venture exploration activity to develop the Johan Castberg field. Statoil is the operator of production license PL532 with a 50% stake; the remaining shares are held by Eni Norge AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).

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