Halfway through 2008 and it is timely to make a comparison with 2007 activity levels. It turns out that UK exploration drilling has almost doubled compared with the same period last year – 15 spuds versus 29.
With appraisal drilling up by 62%, overall activity levels have risen by a spectacular 83%; 42 exploration and appraisal wells have been started, plus 23 sidetracks have been initiated.
A total of 16 mobile rigs are currently active on E&A wells.
With an indicated 30 rig contracts in place, 2008 activity levels will significantly surpass 2007.
Now that completion of operations on ConocoPhillips’ long-running Jasmine North Terrace well, 30/6-7X, are completed, only one well from 2007 is still drilling; BG’s 30/2a-7 Jackdaw appraisal has been going for almost nine months.
Two recently announced positive results stand out – Islay and Moth.
Total has made a discovery close to its newly producing Jura field. Islay tested gas/condensate at an equivalent of 8,800 barrels of oil per day from the Jurassic and will be tied back to Alwyn, although this may entail shutting in other production to equilibrate pressures.
The other recent notable success has come from a farm-in well. Oilexco’s Well 23/21-6Z, sidetracked into the Moth prospect after finding the shallow Sparrow prospect in adjacent block 23/22 dry, has recorded a significant Middle and Upper Jurassic discovery in the Pentland and Fulmar sands.
However, mechanical failure precluded satisfactory testing of the Pentland oil&gas reservoir sands, which means appraisal will happen at some future date.
Meanwhile, results of testing in the gas condensate-bearing Fulmar sands are awaited.
Other successes are Oilexco’s 16/21b-34 Delta and Talisman’s 16/22-9 Burghley appraisal wells. Oilexco then mobilised to drill Caledonia development well 16/26-31, adding to the current flurry of activity in the area which has also seen BP’s recent Kinnoull discovery, 16/23-7, and successful Arundel appraisal well, 16/23-8, 8Z.
But the outcome of Maersk’s 16/21d-36 Bladon/Crookston remains under wraps for the present.
Valiant’s 9/22-3 Globe/Roebuck in the Northern North Sea (NNS) failed to find hydrocarbons and we suspect Nexen’s 19/4-2 Full Moon in the Central North Sea (CNS) was also a dry hole. IOC moved off Hood appraisal 15/13a-9 without comment to drill exploration follow-up 15/13a-10.
Operations on prolific operator Oilexco’s 29/6b-7, 7Z Danica also finished rapidly, and while this suggests an unsuccessful outcome, it may mask a positive result given the proximity of 25th Round acreage.
Contributing to the significant activity hike in June were Nexen’s 20/1-7 Pink, Lundin’s 21/8-4 Torphins and Perenco’s 21/30-25 Spitfire in the CNS, while Antrim’s East Causeway 211/23d-18 is the sole contributor in the NNS.
Southern Gas Basin activity continues at a steady, if low, level, with ConocoPhillips’ 49/22-N1Z Europa exploration sidetrack and Wintershall’s 44/24b-7 on the Carboniferous Dimple prospect having recently started.
While the East Irish Sea Basin is unlikely to see drilling this year, a multi-operator programme is being firmed up which will likely see a single unit drill a number of E&A wells during the course of 2009.
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