Jupiter wildcat finds hydrocarbons off Sierra Leone
An Anadarko Petroleum Corp. group has encountered hydrocarbons at the Jupiter-1 exploratory well on Block SL-07B-11 offshore Sierra Leone.
Jupiter is the group’s third discovery in the Liberian basin and “provides further support for the stratigraphic play in the region. The presence of a working petroleum system producing gas and light oil in the basin is encouraging,” said partner Tullow Oil PLC.
The group is drilling Kosrou-1 off Ivory Coast and will further test the play by drilling Mercury-2 off Sierra Leone.
Jupiter went to a total depth of 6,465 m in 2,199 m of water more than 25 km west of the group’s Mercury oil discovery. Jupiter cut 30 m of hydrocarbon pay in the primary Upper Cretaceous objective and did not encounter a hydrocarbon-water contact. The well is preserved for possible reentry as further evaluation is likely needed.
The Transocean Discoverer Spirit drillship will move 15 km northeast of Jupiter to drill Mercury-2, which will target several reservoir levels including extensions of the oil accumulations discovered by the Mercury-1 well.
Anadarko is operator of Block SL-07B-11 with 55% interest. Repsol YPF has 25%, and Tullow has 20%.
Alan Petzet | Chief Editor Exploration
Alan Petzet is Chief Editor-Exploration of Oil & Gas Journal in Houston. He is editor of the Weekly E&D Newsletter, emailed to OGJ subscribers, and a regular contributor to the OGJ Online subscriber website.
Petzet joined OGJ in 1981 after 13 years in the Tulsa World business-oil department. He was named OGJ Exploration Editor in 1990. A native of Tulsa, he has a BA in journalism from the University of Tulsa.
