Premier chasing further reserves, tie-ins at Chim Sáo offshore Vietnam

Offshore staff

LONDON – A trial water injection scheme is under way on the Premier-operated Chim Sáo field off southern Vietnam.

Liquids production currently is restricted to 30,000 b/d. An upturn over the second half of the year will depend on the success of the new program.

Two further wells have been completed to develop additional reservoirs - these are being tied back to the Chim Sáo offshore complex, and should come onstream during the second half of the year.

After drilling 17 development wells over the past two years, the jackup has left the Chim Sáo platform to spud the Chim Sáo North West appraisal well. Premier is targeting prospective P50 resources of about 200 MMboe.

The company expects Vietnamese government approvals shortly for the Dua field project, a tie-in to Chim Sáo. Procurement is under way of long lead items and major tenders are out for the project, including contracts for modifications to the Chim Sáo FPSO and a drilling rig. Premier is aiming for first oil from Dua in 2014.

Elsewhere offshore Vietnam, Premier expects to drill an additional appraisal well next spring on the CRD discovery in block 07/03. This will be followed by an exploration well in the same block, and another on the Kuda/Singa Laut prospect in the adjacent Tuna block offshore Indonesia.

Premier has also agreed to farm 40% of the Origin Energy-operated Vietnamese block 121 in the northern part of the frontier Phu Khanh basin, with government approval thought to be imminent. A well on the high-risk Ca Voi prospect should spud around the turn of the year, subject to rig availability.

The main prospectivity in the block resides in the untested Oligocene play fairway, which Premier views as geologically similar to the Cau formation that it has successfully explored in blocks 12W and 07/03 in the Nam Con Son basin.

Offshore Indonesia, a construction barge is due on location later this month at the Anoa field on Natuna Sea block A to prepare the platform for installation of compression upgrade modules as part ofAnoa Phase 4. This is designed to extract about 200 bcf (5.7 bcm) of reserves. The modules are under construction at a site near Jakarta and should be installed in mid-August. 

Earlier this year, Premier successfully tested the deeper Oligocene Lama formation beneath the Anoa field. Studies are in progress to determine the extent of this discovery, not just below Anoa but elsewhere on the block. This will be completed toward end-2012 with a further exploration well planned for the second half of next year.

Elsewhere offshore Indonesia, work continues on Premier’sPelikan and Naga gas field projects with all approvals required at this stage received. Designs for the platform structure have been finalized and construction of pipeline materials is under way.

The company is targeting first gas in 2014 from the two fields, which have combined reserves estimated at 150 bcf (4.2 bcm).

7/12/2012