Several recent exploration successes show there is still much to play for in the UKCS. With drilling maintaining the levels of the previous month, the outlook for 2010 is potentially as good as any year since 2006, except for 2008.
To date, 29 wells (16 exploration and 13 appraisal) and nine sidetracks have been started this year. Eleven E&A wells are currently active utilising four semi-submersibles and seven jack-ups.
Sidetracks apart, this figure is higher than at the same point in 2009, equal to that of 2006 and just five wells short of the 2007 figure. However, 16 more wells had spudded to this point in 2008, immediately prior to the credit crunch. Production and development activity is maintained, with 21 field wells currently active, bringing the number of starts this year to 78, including 43 spuds and 34 sidetracks. This is supported by seven semi-submersibles, four jack-ups and 10 platform rigs.
In the Northern North Sea, no E&A wells are drilling following completion of operations on Valiant’s Tybalt 211/8c-4Z, which tested over 6,000 barrels oil equivalent per day from the Jurassic before the Ocean Nomad mobilised to the Central North Sea.
West of Shetland, Hurricane is shortly to suspend its re-entered and sidetracked Lancaster discovery 205/21a-4, having tested up to 2,450 barrels of oil per day from the basement reservoir.
The first true spud in the sector may now be a race between Hurricane’s nearby Whirlwind Prospect and Total’s 206/4 Edradour exploration probe. Five wells are active in the Central North Sea. GSF Arctic-4 remains on Nexen’s Blackbird appraisal 20/2a-9, and Maersk (not GDF Suez as incorrectly reported last month) continues operations on Culzean HP/HT appraisal 22/25a-10 with the jack-up, Ensco 101. New starts in the sector are Wintershall’s Blakeney appraisal 21/27b-7 with Ocean Nomad; Apache’s 22/12a-12 appraisal of Phoenix, using the Galaxy II jack-up, and Talisman’s 30/12b-10, a Halley appraisal well drilling with the semi-submersible, Ocean Princess.
Maersk recorded a small Jurassic oil discovery with the sidetrack of Dunglass 15/20b-18, using the Ton van Langeveld to drill into the Balloch prospect underlying the Tertiary-reservoired Dumbarton field.
EnCore released Galaxy II following a successful programme with well 28/9-1, which discovered the Tertiary-reservoired Catcher accumulation with two sidetracks – easterly and westerly – confirming the significance of the find. Wintershall abandoned its Volante exploration well 20/2b-10 after 24 days prior to mobilising to Blakeney.
In the Southern North Sea, five wells, one up from last month and all utilising jack-ups, are active.
Noble Julie Robertson remains on York pre-development well 47/3a-15A for Centrica; Noble Byron Welliver on ATP’s Kilmar appraisal 43/22a-3Z, and Ensco 72 on RWE’s Macanta prospect well 42/14-2. E.On spudded, then later sidetracked 42/28d-11 on the Tolmount prospect using the GSF Labrador, a re-drill of the junked and inconclusive Scolty well of early-2008. GDF Suez terminated operations on 85-day Cygnus appraisal 44/12a-5 using the Ensco 100, having tested 29million cu ft of gas per day from the Permian reservoir and marking completion of field appraisal within currently known boundaries.
At the time of writing, three or more imminent wells may bolster July figures further.
The Hannon Westwood planned well pool remains healthy at close to 270 wells, including 175 E&A wells, boosted in part by EnCore’s plans for the coming months in follow-up of its Catcher discovery, which at this point may have 60-100million barrels of recoverable oil. The current planned well pool also represents about 10% of our current prospect inventory.
Simon Robertshaw’s column is courtesy of drilling analyst Hannon Westwood
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