There was good news yesterday on two North Sea discoveries.
Endeavour International said drill stem testing of Rochelle appraisal well 15/27-11 had achieved flow rates of 41million cubic feet of gas and 2,300 barrels of oil condensate per day.
The company said the highly successful test confirmed the commerciality of the undeveloped Rochelle discovery in block 15/27 in the outer Moray Firth.
Endeavour chief executive William Transier said: “This is a major milestone in the growth of our company as the Rochelle field development has the potential to more than double our current production.
“The success of our first company-operated appraisal project reflects the quality of our technical evaluations and operational capabilities, and we intend to move quickly towards development. Our preliminary estimates indicate recoverable reserves in excess of 30million gross barrels of oil equivalent.”
Endeavour holds a 55.6% interest in the well and is operator for the block.
Nexen Petroleum UK holds the other 44.4%.
Meanwhile, Maersk Oil North Sea UK said that a central North Sea well had found a promising column of gas condensate.
The high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) Culzean well is in block 22/25a. Maersk said evaluations were continuing to determine size of the gas volume, commerciality and possible development options.
The company’s Aberdeen-based managing director, Kurt Normann Nielsen, said: “The Culzean well presented significant technical challenges, including complex HPHT conditions.
“This is an example of how a technology-driven approach can add new opportunities in the North Sea and we hope that our evaluation of this gas find will lead to a commercial field development.”
Maersk has a 66% stake in block 22/25a, while Nippon Oil and Eni each have 17%.