Australian oil and gas explorer Oilex has started drilling its key Cambay 77H well in the Indian midland licence.
The horizontal well will focus on obtaining production test data from the Cambay Production Sharing Contract when the drilling is completed at an estimated measured depth of 2357m, expected to take 30 days to reach.
Its predecessor, the Cambay 76H drilled in 2011, was the first horizontal multi-staged fractured well in India, but the firm was unable to run flow test due to mechanical problems.
The Cambay PSC is the most significant asset in the company’s portfolio, covering 161 square kilometres and holding an estimated reserve of 83million barrels of oil equivalent.
“Drilling operations have commenced within the anticipated window and I have the utmost confidence in the Oilex well construction team in India,” said Ron Miller, Oilex managing director.
“We look forward to measuring a sustained hydrocarbon flow test from this well and validating not only our own expectations of this reservoir but numerous third party analyses for the potential resource base of our Cambay asset.”
Oilex currently holds a 45% participating interest in the Cambay PSC as the asset’s operator; its partner Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation owns the remaining 55%.
