As part of our committment to provide valuable information for our subscribers and visitors, our new 'Planned Operational Activity' category allows users to access information designed to help identify potential future opportunities in the E&P and renewable energy sectors.

The following is a year-to-date update:

Tower Resources   l   Cameroon

Tower Resources is preparing plans for drilling for NJOM-3 well, now that the site survey is complete. Management's present view, subject to further work and confirmation of equipment availability, is that it would like to spud the well in the course of June 2020. Long lead items are already at the Company's base in Douala. Some testing equipment will still need to be mobilised prior to spudding the well, along with personnel, and so this intended date is still subject to change.

Total / PTTEP   l   Oman

Total and PTTEP signed an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) for the onshore Block 12 with the Ministry of Oil and Gas of the Sultanate of Oman. Total is operator of the block with an 80 W.I. while PTTEP hold the remaining 20 percent participating interest. 

Under EPSA for Block 12, PTTEP MENA and Total will realize geological and geophysical studies, 3D seismic surveys and exploration wells during the initial 3-year exploration phase (2020 – 2022).

Wintershall Noordzee   l   Netherlands

Followingthe announcement of first gas from the Sillimanite field in the Dutch southern North Sea the next project for Wintershall Noordzee will be the Rembrandt/Vermeer oilfield developments.

For Vermeer, the company plans an integrated wellhead, process, utility and living quarters platform over a subsea storage tank, offloading production to shuttle tankers will be built. Rembrandt will feature a normally unmanned wellhead platform with minimal facilities: in both cases a final investment decision should follow later this year.

In addition, the company is assessing development potential at the Greater Ravn Area in the Danish North Sea.

Oryx Petroleum   l   Iraq

Oryx are pursuing an active drilling program in 2020 in the Hawler license area that is expected to lead to increased production and will allow the company to further assess fields and reservoirs where they currently have contingent or prospective resources but no reserves. The company's six well 2020 program commenced with the drilling of a horizontal sidetrack of the previously drilled Banan-1 well in the eastern fault block of the Banan field and formation evaluation data was obtained from both the Tertiary and Cretaceous reservoirs. Data obtained in the Tertiary reservoir where Oryx currently have no reserves or contingent resources indicates the presence of a significant column of oil with similar density to that produced from the very successful Banan-3 and Banan-4 wells west of the Great Zab river. Data obtained from the Cretaceous reservoir reconfirmed the presence of an oil column in this reservoir but Oryx were unable to complete the well as an oil producer in this reservoir as planned. Further evaluation of these two reservoirs is planned in 2020 from new wells to be drilled from a more optimal location.

Equinor   l   Norway

Equinor and its partners in the Statfjord area plan to drill up to 100 new wells and extend production by more than 10 years. Previous plans to decommission Statfjord A in 2022 have been shelved to extract even more value from the field.

Extensive mapping of the subsurface has revealed that the remaining potential of the Statfjord area is considerable, with Spirit Energy and its partners agreeing on a new and ambitious business plan for the area.  

The new plan includes drilling up to 100 new wells towards 2030. These wells will help reach an ambition of maintaining the current production level from Statfjord beyond 2025. This will require considerable investment and upgrading of the three platforms at the field.

Aminex   l   Tanzania

With a US$40 million Work Programme planned, including the drilling of the Chikumbi-1 well and the acquisition of an extensive 3D and 2D seismic survey onshore Tanzania, Aminex and partners intend to rapidly meet the growing power/gas demand in the country, for withAminex fully carried. The proposed 3D seismic survey, expected to cover approximately 500 km², would be the first onshore 3D seismic programme undertaken in Tanzania.

Australia   l   3D Oil / ConocoPhillips

3D Oil and ConocoPhillips executed a Farmout Agreement in relation to the offshore Tasmanian Permit T/49P. Under the terms of the Agreement ConocoPhillips Australia will be transferred a 75% interest in the permit and become operator. ConocoPhillips Australia will undertake the acquisition of a 3D seismic survey of not less than 1580 sq km within the Permit and in which 3D Oil will make no financial contribution. This activity is currently planned to be undertaken in the third quarter of 2020. Upon completion of the acquisition, processing and interpretation of the 3D seismic survey ConocoPhillips Australia may elect to drill an exploration well which will fulfill the current Year 6 work programme obligation.

UK   l   Cairn Energy

Catcher
2020 drilling will deliver three new production wells. Development of two Catcher Area satellite oil fields, Catcher North and Laverda, is progressing to plan. The two development wells are scheduled to be drilled in mid-2020, along with an additional Varadero production well. First oil from Catcher North and Laverda is targeted for H1 2021 and together with the Varadero infill well, will help to offset natural decline of the Catcher Area as the existing wells come off plateau.

The JV continues to work up additional well targets within the Catcher area and nearby discoveries to maximise economic recovery. Two Burgman infill wells are under-evaluation for 2021.

In addition, a 4D seismic survey across the Catcher Area is scheduled to take place mid-year to identify further infill opportunities as well as to improve the imaging of already identified near field prospects and discoveries. Planned shut-downs for maintenance and tie-ins of new satellite wells will occur during 2020. 

Kraken 
Drilling of two wells, a producer and an injector pair on the western flank of the Kraken field (Worcester accumulation) is expected to commence in H1 and tied in and onstream in H2 2020. This development will utilise spare capacity in the existing DC2 sub-sea infrastructure.

The western flank area provides further opportunities and the Pembroke, Antrim and Barra areas are being evaluated. 

Jadestone Energy   l   Australia

Jadestone have committed to an extensive work programme across a number of assets in the portfolio, with further infill drilling at Stag and a first infill well at Montara, as well as a new seismic survey to better refine the company's future opportunity set, all with the aim of extending field life and maximising the use of existing infrastructure

Pharos Energy   l   Israel

Pharos, together with Cairn Energy plc and Israel's Ratio Oil Exploration, were successful in their bid for eight blocks in the second offshore bid round in Israel. There will be a minimum work programme in the initial phases which include re-evaluation of the potential of the acreage by integrating all available data, and reprocessing of 3D seismic data over high-graded prospects in each Zone.

Energean Oil   l   Greece

Energean Oil and Gas has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Total’s stake in Block 2, offshore Western Greece. On completion, Energean would acquire Total’s entire 50% Working Interest share and Operatorship. Energean’s net remaining expenditure towards satisfaction of the minimum work obligation, which includes 1800km of 2D seismic acquisition and processing – activity which Energean believes could significantly de-risk the prospectivity of the licence – is approx. €0.5 million.

The structure is covered by sparse 2D seismic which could be de-risked through the seismic programme that will be acquired as part of the minimum work programme.

Neptune Energy   l   Egypt

Neptune Energy signed an operated exploration licence with the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) for the North West El Amal Offshore Concession in the Gulf of Suez.

Neptune will acquire 100 km² of 3D seismic data and drill one exploration well in the first phase, with two further wells planned in phase two.

Transglobe Energy   l   Egypt

TransGlobe Energy's $23.7 MM Egypt program has $5.4 MM (23%) allocated to exploration and $18.3 MM (77%) to development. The primary focus of the 2020 Egypt plan is to sustain Eastern Desert production and to evaluate the South Ghazalat development lease in the Western Desert while the company await finalization of the consolidation of their Eastern Desert PSCs.

The $5.4 MM 2020 exploration program in Egypt includes three exploration wells in the Eastern Desert (one well in West Bakr, two wells in NW Gharib), and one exploration well in South Ghazalat in the Western Desert.

The 2020 development program is principally focused on the Eastern Desert and includes: four development wells in West Bakr (two each in H and K pools), one Red Bed appraisal well in the NW Gharib 3X pool, six development wells targeting the Arta Nukul reservoir in West Gharib and NW Gharib, ten recompletions in West Bakr, four recompletions in West Gharib, water handling expansion at West Bakr and development/ maintenance projects in the Eastern Desert (West Bakr, NW Gharib and West Gharib). A single development well is planned in the SGZ-6X pool, targeting the prolific lower Bahariya reservoir, in the Western Desert.

KeyFacts Energy: Planned Operational Activity