Offshore staff
PARIS -- Appraisal well 6506/9-1 in the North Sea has proved gas, according to Total. The objective of the well was to delineate discovery 6506/6-1 (“Victoria”). The well encountered gas in Lower to Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tilje and Ile formations).
According to Total, there is substantial uncertainty related to the size of the discovery. Preliminary estimates indicate that the discovery may contain somewhere between 20 to 60 bcm of recoverable gas. Prior to drilling, Total estimated resources of 89 bcm of recoverable gas, and considered Victoria to be Norway's largest undeveloped gas discovery.
“The result is, of course, disappointing,” says Sissel Eriksen, director of exploration for the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.” The most important thing now is to give the operator the time and opportunity to analyze samples and data to ascertain what this means.”
The company has collected extensive data including 230 m (755 ft) of core material. Formation testing has also been completed. The maximum production rate was 180,000 cm/d of flow through a 16/64-in. nozzle. The gas contains almost 90% methane and 10% carbon dioxide.
The semisub West Phoenix drilled the well to a vertical depth of 5,664 m (18,582 ft) below sea level. The well was terminated in the Åre formation in Lower Jurassic rocks; it has now been plugged and abandoned.
Total plans to drill another appraisal well on Victoria over the next few years.
09/17/2009
Courtesy Norwegian Offshore Directorate
Courtesy Serica Energy
Courtesy Constellation Oil Services
Courtesy Tower Resources
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