Genel Energy has completed the Sarta-5 appraisal well but reservoirs appear tight and it failed to flow.
The company said the Kurdistan well had produced around 800 barrels of light oil from the Najmah formation. However, it could not produce from the primary reservoirs of Mus and Adaiyah, or from the secondary Lower Sargalu and Najmah formations.
Genel said it had identified tight reservoirs as a “critical risk” before drilling. The company will integrate the results into its understanding of the Sarta field and next steps.
It finished drilling and completion work on the well at the end of 2021 and moved into well testing.
The company has a 30% stake in the licence and is the operator. It will suspend the Sarta-5 well in line with local regulations. Chevron has a 50% stake and it was the operator until the end of 2021.
Genel is continuing its appraisal programme on the Sarta field, at the Sarta-6 well, around 6 km west of the early production facility (EPF). It expects results in the third quarter.
The Sarta field produced 6,400 barrels per day of oil gross in 2021.
The Sarta-1D started producing on March 8, with initial flows of 2,500 bpd of oil. Genel has said production from Sarta should offset declines from its mature Taq Taq field.
Sarta-5 and -6 were intended to appraise the field beyond its pilot production facility. The company, in its annual results, described these as “key in resolving the current uncertainty over the size and shape of the Sarta field”.
In 2021, Genel began working on plans to use renewable energy to power operations at Sarta. The company said it would follow through in 2022 on this with concept selection. Results from the Sarta-5 and -6 wells would play a part in this work.
Recommended for you
