As oil and natural gas production continues to fluctuate at a level well below demand, John Mueller looks at New Zealand’s growing need to aggressively explore the nation’s vast and extensive offshore sedimentary basins.Taranaki Basin, located along the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island…
Wildcat is first drilled by Statoil in PL386 Seadrill's West Alpha drilling facilityStatoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 386, has completed drilling of wildcat well 6610/10-1. The well is dry. The well was drilled about…
Australian firm locates light oil off Brazil Click to view largerKaroon Gas Australia has encountered light oil at the Kangaroo-1 exploration well on Block S-M-1101 in the Santos Basin off Brazil, partner Pacific Rubiales announced on 25 January 2013…
Eni discovers oil and gas pay at Sankofa wellTesting at Sankofa-2 ST (Photo: Vitol)Eni successfully drilled Sankofa East 2A, the first appraisal well of the Sankofa East oil discovery in the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block, located in the Tano Basin offshore Ghana…
Statoil receives 14 licenses during APA roundMinister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Moe (Photo: Lise Rist / OED)Forty companies walked away with shares in 51 new production licenses as part of Norway’s 2012 APA Round, the country’s…
Ogna well targets upper, middle Jurassic oilMaersk Guardian jack-up rigLundin Petroleum has commenced drilling on exploration well 8/5-1 in PL453S off Norway, the company confirmed on 14 January 2013. The exploration well seeks to…
Tullow has farmed-in on 40% of Houston-based Hyperdynamics’ offshore Guinea concession. A new drilling program, testing a deepwater fan prospect, is slated to begin 1 April 2014. Hyperdynamics and Dana Petroleum hold 37% and 23%, respectively.
Lukoil has conducted a four-well horizontal drilling campaign at the Yu Korchagin field in the northern Caspian Sea. Initial flow rates tested between 4000b/d and 10,000b/d. Recoverable oil reserves at the field are estimated at 360 million barrels.
Rosneft and ExxonMobil have established a joint project to assess the commerciality of tight oil reserves in the Bazhenov and Achimov formations of Western Siberia. ExxonMobil will provide financing up to US$300 million for the program. Drilling is to begin in 2013.
Tupi South discovery may link to Lula field Petrobras has found good quality oil in the Tupi South (Sul de Tupi) area of the Santos Basin pre-salt, the company announced on 8 January 2013.Petrobras said the well encountered reservoirs…
Sverdrup appraisal to probe depth, thicknessBredford DolphinLundin Petroleum AB announced that the wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS has commenced the drilling of appraisal well 16/3-5 in PL501 on the Johan Sverdrup discovery…
Automating more of the oil & gas industry's processes will ultimately improve safety. So said several industry leaders during the recent Drilling & Completing Trouble Zones conference in Galveston, Texas. Jennifer Pallanich was there.Baker Hughes' Allen Sinor…
Helix Energy Solutions Group has encountered 100ft of high-quality net oil pay in the Wang exploration well, 93 miles off the Louisiana coast in Green Canyon block 237. Drilled to a total depth of 18,300ft, Wang will tie-back to the Helix Producer 1 FPU. First production is expected by 2Q 2013.
Chevron and its 50:50 joint partner Shell have scored two gas finds in the Exmouth Plateau of the Carnavon Basin off Western Australia. Pinhoe-1, drilled to 13,396ft TD, encountered 197ft of net gas pay in the Barrow and Mungaroo Sands. The Arnhem-1…
Ecologix's mobile treatment systemEcologix CEO discusses frack water recycling Platts – Recycling of water used for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a trend that will inevitably grow as companies realize that they cannot continue…