CNOOC Ltd. announced in a press release that it has made a mid-sized new exploration discovery, Luda 5-2 North, and has successfully appraised the mid-sized oil and gas structure Kenli 9-5/9-6.

Luda 5-2 North is located in the Liaodong Bay of Bohai, with an average water depth of 31 m (102 ft). The discovery wells of Luda 5-2N-2 and LD 5-2N-4 were both drilled and completed at a depth of around 1,140 m (3,740 ft) and encountered the oil pay zones with total thickness of about 120 m and 85 m (394 ft and 279 ft), respectively, according to the press release. The oil production of Luda 5-2N-2 well was tested at around 1,040 b/d. The new discovery of Luda 5-2 North demonstrates the company’s successful experience in the thermal recovery technology of heavy oil and creates a new methodology to commercialize heavy oil reserves.

Kenli 9-5/9-6 is located in the Laixi structure in the southern part of Bohai, with an average water depth of about 9 m (30 ft), according to the press release. The company drilled Kenli 9-5-2D and Kenli 9-6-2 wells and completed at a depth of 2,200 m and 1,250 m (7,218 ft and 4,101 ft), respectively. These two wells encountered oil pay zones with total thickness of about 70 m (230 ft) and 120 m, respectively. During the test period, the oil production of Kenli 9-6-2 well was around 200 b/d. The successful appraisal of Kenli 9-5/9-6 has further expanded the scale of the reserve in the area.