Area Drilling

Colombia

Work progressed toward eventual startup of sustained production from Rubiales heavy oil field in the Llanos basin.

Tests by Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, showed that a blend of 74% vis-broken Rubiales crude and 26% raw Rubiales crude will result in a blended crude of 21° gravity and a density of less than 100 centistokes, said operator Coplex Resources NL, Hobart, Tasmania.

Ocensa pipeline agreed to ship as much as 50,000 b/d of vis-broken crude in first quarter 2001 without modifications or tariff penalties. The crude would be batched. A connecting line to El Porvenir from Rubiales would be needed. Ryder Scott Co., Houston, estimated Rubiales proved reserves at 211 million bbl.

India

Oil India Ltd. reported a commercial oil discovery in the Shibsagar of Assam.

The first exploratory well drilled at Moran South, 60 km from giant Nahorkatiya oil field and 400 km from the capital of Guwahati, was being tested in Eocene at 4,673 m. Several uphole zones with potential were also drilled.

Italy

Hardman Resources NL, Perth, plans to drill in the Latium coastal basin just southwest of Rome later this year.

The prospect, on the Fiume Tevere Permit between Rome and the Mediterranean coast, is to evaluate gas potential in Pliocene sandstones as deep as 1,000 m and below sealing Pleistocene Vatican shales. Similar plays have proved gas productive in the Tuscan coastal basin north of Rome, Hardman said.

The first well, Colombo 1, is to spud in April-May and drill into a structure that seismic mapping indicates has potential to hold 55 bcf of gas. Hardman is earning a 70% interest in the project by funding the first well.

Italmin Petro* SRL, the permit holder, and Hardman acquired two seismic lines totaling 16 km in September 1998.

Kuwait

Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said initial production from the Kraa al Marow 2 confirmation well averaged 1,800 b/d of light crude oil.

KPC plans to test the No. 2 well for 4-6 months, then work out a development plan. The company discovered the field in 1995, OPEC News Agency reported.

Philippines

Philippine National Oil Co. said it will start drilling for gas this year on Fuga Island in the remote northern Philippines.

PNOC president Ramon Mitra said PNOC Exploration Corp. will conduct preliminary geoscience studies in the area in June.

The project would involve development of a postulated 18 tcf of gas and development by the Chinese-Filipino Tan Yu group of companies of a 250 mile subsea pipeline across the Luzon Strait to Taipei.

United Kingdom

Morrison Middlefield Resources Ltd., Calgary, submitted to Department of Trade and Industry a plan to develop Saltfleetby gas field 8 km from the 3.5 bcfd Theddlethorpe gas processing plant.

The company wants to add two development wells to five existing wells and start production in fourth quarter 1999. Two zones have produced. First year output is pegged at 33 MMcfd of gas and 1,500 b/d of natural gas liquids.

A yearend 1998 independent engineers' report attributed reserves of more than 40 bcf of gas and nearly 2 million bbl of NGL.

The field, U.K.'s largest onshore gas field, is also a candidate for gas storage later.

British Columbia

Talisman Energy Inc. plans to develop a Triassic gas discovery in the Monkman area.

Talisman Poco c-47-L encountered 250 ft of net pay in Triassic. The well flowed 58 MMcfd of gas. TD is 14,550 ft.

Poco and Talisman have identified five locations on related structures, one or two of which are to be drilled this year. C-47-L and two earlier discoveries, c-8-K and b-11-L, are to be tied in and placed on production in fourth quarter 1999.

Monkman production, limited by gas processing capacity, averaged 112 MMcfd in 1998.

Arizona

Independent engineers William M. Cobb & Associates, Dallas, issued a preliminary estimated of 15.8 tcf of carbon dioxide in place in Unit No. 1 of the St. John's CO2/helium project in eastern Arizona.

Five wells tested for the study flowed at rates from 970 Mcfd at 140 psi flowing pressure to 3.5 MMcfd with 400 psi. CAOF was 11.7 MMcfd at the latter well, said Ridgeway Petroleum Corp., Calgary, operator of the project.

Unit No. 1 totals 265,000 acres, of which 100,000 acres are in western New Mexico.

California

Surface kill efforts have been unsuccessful at the Elk Point Resources Inc., Calgary, Bellevue 1 blowout at East Lost Hills in the San Joaquin Valley.

The Bellevue 1R relief well being drilled below 14,000 ft in mid-February was to intersect Bellevue 1 below 16,000 ft for a kill attempt.

The No. 1 well, in 17-26s-21e, Kern County, blew out Nov. 23, 1998, while drilling in the Miocene Temblor formation below 17,600 ft (OGJ, Nov. 30, 1998, p. 34). It burned until Nov. 8, when water put out the flames.

The participants plan to drill another well in the prospect area.

Louisiana

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, recompleted a formerly inactive well in St. Mary Parish at Belle Isle field, acquired in late December from Oryx Energy Co. A Miocene P stray sand at nearly 14,000 ft flowed 493 b/d of oil with 1.05 MMcfd of gas on a 24/64 in. choke with 940 psi flowing tubing pressure.

New York

Reported natural gas production totaled 16.2 bcf in 1997, off 12% from 1996, the Department of Environmental Conservation reported. Oil production was 276,330 bbl, down 10%. Average prices at the wellhead were $2.56/Mcf, up 24¢, and $17.46/bbl, down 83¢.

Texas Panhandle

Pan Western Energy Corp., Tulsa, completed a short radius horizontal well in Sherman County.

The 3-2 Texas Hugoton Gas Unit flowed 771 Mcfd of gas on a 11/4 in. orifice plate from Permian Brown dolomite with 375 psi bottomhole pressure. TD is 3,401 ft MD.

Pan Western completed the well using short radius, rotary steerable horizontal drilling technology licensed from Amoco Corp. It was drilled with air and laterally extended 1,397 ft from the vertical well bore.

West Virginia

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. completed a well in Thornwood (Greenbank) field on the Eastern Overthrust belt.

The directional 2 Federal-MNF, in Pocahontas County, flowed 4.5 MMcfd of gas from stimulated Oriskany perforations 6,222-32 ft, Petroleum Information/Dwights LLC reported.