Empyrean Energy PLC spudded the LH 17-2-1 well on the Jade Prospect in Block 29/11 within Pearl River Mouth basin, offshore China.
The drilling objective for the well is to test for hydrocarbons down to 2,860-m TD. A 36-in. surface hole was drilled to 588-m MD and a 30-in. surface conductor is being installed.
Following the setting of the surface conductor, the 17 ½-in. hole will be drilled to 1,050-m MD and a 13 ⅝-in. casing will be set and cemented in place. The rig will drill a 12 ¼-in. hole to about 2,140-m MD before setting 9 ⅝-in. casing. After setting the casing, the rig will drill ahead in the 8 ½-in. hole section to expected TD.
Logging while drilling is being conducted. Should hydrocarbons be encountered in the main target zone, additional combo logs will confirm oil pay zones. In the event of pay zone confirmation, Empyrean Energy will perform flow testing operations.
Initial geological chance of success (GCoS) was 32%, but subsequent gas cloud and post-stack seismic inversion study increased GCoS to 41%. The seismic inversion study showed that Jade has the potential for excellent carbonate buildup reservoir quality with excellent porosity and permeability. Any oil discovered is expected to be in the 38-41° API range, like nearby discoveries.
The Jade Prospect is the first of the three identified prospects within Block 29/11, which also contains the Topaz and Pearl prospects. Jade has 225 MMbbl mean in place potential and 395 MMbbl P10 potential in place. The combined mean in place potential of all three prospects is 884 MMbbl with 1,588 MMbbl P10 potential in place.
Empyrean is operator of the block and holds 100% working interest during the exploration phase. In the event of a commercial discovery, partner CNOOC may assume a 51% participating interest in the development and production phase (OGJ Online, Mar. 11, 2022).
Alex Procyk | Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
