Colombia
Harken Energy Corp., Houston, reported encouragement from Laurel 1, third well on the 250,000 acre Bolivar Association Contract Area in the Middle Magdalena Valley.
Formation characteristics were significantly improved from Olivo 1, the previous well 6 km northeast. Laurel 1 had 1,250 ft gross thickness, 1,081 ft of net pay, and 10.95% average porosity in Upper Cretaceous La Luna. Oil saturation was 75% vs. 80% in Olivo 1.
Drilling will continue vertically through Lower Cretaceous Rosa Blanca and, if logs are favorable, Harken will drill an underbalanced horizontal hole in Rosa Blanca.
Morocco
Onarep granted a 1 year reconnaissance permit to Skidmore Energy Inc. covering 3,318 sq km onshore in the Essaouira basin. Three other such permits granted to Skidmore last year in other areas of Morocco expire Nov. 22, 1999 (OGJ, Nov. 30, 1998, p. 84).
Thailand
Harrods Energy (Thailand) Ltd. said it reached agreements to acquire 50% interests in and operate Gulf of Thailand Blocks B11/32, B11/38, and B12/32 in the Gulf of Thailand.
Working interests will be Harrods and Texaco 50% each on blocks B11/32 and B11/38. Block B12/32 interests will be Harrods 50%, Texaco 32.5%, and Dragon Oil plc`s Songkhla Resources Ltd. 17.5%.
Harrods last year acquired a 50% interest in and operates Block B5/27 with PTTEP. It has started geologic studies on Block B2/38, held 100%.
Russia
A wealth of information on the basins, geology, and oil and gas fields of the newly independent states of the Former Soviet Union is becoming available electronically without cost.
Dr. James Clarke of Great Falls, Va., retired from the U.S. Geological Survey, will author a series of 1 page essays for distribution by electronic mail every 7-10 days. Later the essays will be posted on a website.
Clarke, at [email protected], since 1958 has published the nonprofit quarterly Petroleum Geology, a digest in English of Russian language papers on oil and gas geology.
Alberta
Search Energy Corp., Calgary, operated or participated in nine wells in the Wainwright area in first half 1999.
Seven wells are to produce a combined gross 5 MMcfd of gas from Cretaceous Colony by early August, rising to 7.5 MMcfd in mid-September with added compression. The first of 11 planned wells to Cretaceous Viking was to go on line shortly at an expected 350 Mcfd of gas.
Califonia
Berkley Petroleum Inc., Calgary, spudded an 18,500 ft exploratory test in Cal Canal oil field of the San Joaquin basin. The 1 Berkley-Cal Canal, in 32-28s-22e, Kern County, targets Miocene Temblor, the formation that produced gas and condensate for 6 months at the East Lost Hills blowout in 1998-99 (OGJ, Apr. 12, 1999, p. 75).
The new well, first of three in Berkley`s program, is 10 miles southeast of East Lost Hills, where the relief well is drilling toward 19,000 ft and another 19,000 ft stepout is to be drilled this year.
Wyoming
Patina Oil & Gas Corp., Denver, staked two stratigraphic tests to evaluate coal seams on the Overthrust Belt in southwestern Wyoming.
The core tests, in 3 and 31-17n-117w, Uinta County, are projected to 1,200 ft and 1,850 ft, respectively, to evaluate coals in Upper Cretaceous Frontier and Upper Cretaceous Adaville, IHS Energy Group reported. This area is 6-9 miles east of Ryckman Creek oil and gas field.
