Westwood Global Energy reports that as of October 28 there was one exploration well active in the UK. So far in 2020, four exploration wells have completed. There has been no appraisal drilling to date this year.
West of Shetland
The last well to complete in the region was Hurricane’s Warwick West 204/30b-4 appraisal well on December 13. No further drilling is expected this year.
Northern North Sea
Operations remain ongoing at Apache’s 9/19b-28 and 9/19b-29 Gamma/Losgann exploration well programme which first spudded on July 29.
Since then, mechanical issues have necessitated three re-spuds and one sidetrack, with well 9/19b-29A currently drilling.
The well programme is targeting Eocene injectites at a location between Apache’s Storr field and the UK/Norway median line.
It lies close to the 2008 9/19-16 Gamma oil discovery which is part of the same sand injectite complex in this region and in the event of success, a discovery will likely be tied back to the Beryl field infrastructure.
Chrysaor recently reported results from the well as being “highly encouraging”, suggesting some form of discovery has been made in one of the wells.
Central North Sea
As reported last month, Total completed operations on its 12/30-2 Finzean exploration well in the Moray Firth on September 27, some 26 days after spud.
A result from the well remains unconfirmed, however, based on a total duration that was less than that predicted in the dry hole case, it is assumed the well failed to make a commercial discovery.
The well targeted stacked Punt Sandstone Member (Finzean), Burns Sandstone Member (Ferrick) and Ettrick
Sandstone Member (Ulysses), similar to that seen in the Golden Eagle field, in a combination stratigraphic and structural trap at a location 25 km south of the Captain field.
The next E&A well that is expected to spud in the UK is Cnooc’s 22/26d-C Glengorm South appraisal well in the Central Graben region which will use the Prospector 5 jack-up rig.
Operations are expected to commence in November. The well will target the Upper Jurassic and has an expected duration of up to 300 days.
Southern North Sea
The last well to complete in the region was Eni’s 53/14a-2 Aspen exploration well on December 11 which was abandoned as a dry hole. No further exploration drilling is expected in the gas basin until 2021.
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