Offshore staff
LONDON — Deltic Energy has issued an update on its exploration programs in the UK North Sea.
Shell is due to drill a first exploration well this summer on the Selene gas prospect in the P2437 license in the southern sector (50% Shell, 25% Deltic & 25% Dana). The Valaris 123 jackup should mobilize in late June/early July to drill this and an appraisal well on last year’s Zechstein Pensacola gas/oil discovery.
Selene will be a low-cost exploration well with data compilation designed to support future field development decisions in the mature Leman Sandstone play. So no conventional surface flow test or key reservoir information will be gathered from the drill core, wireline logs and reservoir fluid samples that will be collected during the planned mini drillstem test.
Deltic estimates the P50 prospective resources at 318 Bcf, with a geological chance of success of 70%.
In the UK central North Sea, the company operates the P2542 license containing the Syros prospect. It has fulfilled the Phase A work program, which included the purchase of the latest 3D Evolution seismic dataset across the acreage, and completed a Joint Impedance and Facies Inversion (Ji-Fi) inversion of the seismic data with IKON Science.
Results have de-risked Syros to the point that Deltic considers it to be ‘drill ready’. The prospect is west of the Montrose-Arbroath production platforms and close to other fields that produce from Fulmar sandstones, which are also thought to be present within the Syros rotated fault block.
The prospect could contain a gassy light oil, with P50 resources of 24.5 MMboe. Farm-out discussions are under way with various potential operators.
In January the UK’s North Sea Transition Authority awarded a further 24 offshore licenses, mainly in the Central North Sea area. Deltic provisionally gained two licenses that include the Dewar area over part-blocks 24/24f and 22/25e.
The company previously held the area and matured the Dewar prospect before being obliged to relinquish the acreage. Now new seismic data are available over the area, and there have been various changes of operator around Dewar.
In addition, bp has committed to redevelop the adjacent Skua Field, which has revived interest in the area, Deltic said.
04.17.2024
