Tullow reports oil discovery opens play off Guyana

Tullow Oil PLC reported that a recent oil discovery has opened a new Upper Tertiary oil play in the Guyana basin.

The Joe-1 exploration well, drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a 2,175 m TD in 780 m of water, encountered 14 m of net oil pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs of Upper Tertiary age. On completion of operations, the drill ship will return to Ghana.

Joe is the first oil discovery to be made in the Upper Tertiary and derisks the petroleum system in the western area of the Orinduik block, where a number of Tertiary and Cretaceous-age prospects have been identified, the company said.

Tullow and its partners will evaluate data from the discovery along with data from the August Jethro-1 discovery and wait for data on the Carapa well to determine the optimal follow-on exploration and appraisal program, Tullow said (OGJ Online, Aug. 12, 2019). Additional thinner sands above and below the main pay at Joe-1 are being evaluated for possible incremental pay, said Africa Oil in a separate press statement.

The Repsol Exploracion Guyana-operated Carapa-1 well (Tullow, 37.5%) on the Kanuku license, scheduled begin drilling in late September with the Rowan EXL II jack up rig, will test the Cretaceous oil play. Results are expected in this year’s fourth quarter. A logistics contract for the project was let to Peterson in August.

Tullow subsidiary Tullow Guyana BV is the operator of the Orinduik block with 60%. Total E&P Guyana BV holds 25%. Eco (Atlantic) Guyana holds the remaining 15%. Africa Oil holds 18.8% equity interest in Eco.