Thursday, 5 January 2012
LONDON - Britain?s Department of Energy & Climate
Change (DECC) has awarded
various licenses in little-explored regions under the 26th
seaward oil and gas licensing round.
This second tranche of licenses was delayed pending detailed
assessments of the potential environmental impact in these
regions.
Among the winners, Providence Resources? UK subsidiary PR Singleton was offered a frontier exploration license over six blocks in the Rathlin Basin, offshore Northern Ireland.
The initial six-year phase carries a commitment to drill one well. Providence will perform technical studies to review drilling opportunities in the license area.
Australian company Norwest Energy?s subsidiary NWE-Mirrabooka (UK) gained five
"Promote? exploration licenses: 98/6b, 98/7b, 98/8, 98/12 (part) and 98/13 (split).
All are in the English Channel off southern England, and are
adjacent to Mirrabooka?s two
onshore licenses PEDL 238 and PEDL 239.
The company says the concessions are favorably located
immediately east/southeast of the Wytch Farm oil field,
formerly operated by BP, which at one point produced 110,000
b/d (current levels are nearer 15,000 b/d)
Mirrabooka has so far identified six structural leads with a
geological chance of success ranging from 15% to 32%. It will
conduct geological and geophysical studies partly based on
newly acquired 2D seismic data, with a view to maturing the
leads to drillable prospects.
The company has a 65% operating interest in all five
licenses, the balance held by Wessex Exploration. If
the partners opt to convert the license to
"Traditional? status, it will carry a two-year term
with a drill-or-drop well commitment.
In the same area, InfraStrata, a gas storage/petroleum
exploration company, gained a 50% operating interest in a
license covering offshore blocks 97/14, 97/15 and 98/11.
These extend more than 584 sq km (225 sq mi) adjoining the
Dorset coast, again close to Wytch Farm. The initial license
term is for four years with a drilling decision required
within the first two
years.
CEO Andrew Hindle said: "Within and immediately adjacent to the license area there are a number of active oil and gas seeps.
"A total of seven wells have been previously drilled within the license area, including the first UK offshore well in 1963 on Lulworth Banks in block 97/14. Six of these wells encountered oil or gas shows and three flowed oil or gas on test."
The most prospective could be the 98/11-2 well drilled in
1984, which encountered a 26-m
(85-ft) gas column that flowed 10 MMcf/d on test.
A reservoir engineering study commissioned by InfraStrata
suggests this interval could flow a rate above the 40 MMcf/d
achieved by the discovery well.
Initially, InfraStrata aims to establish the potential
commerciality of this find via onshore development drilling.
The program will include reprocessing of existing seismic
data to better define the extent and size of the
accumulation.
To the east, off the Isle of Wight, NP Solent was awarded
part-blocks 98/13 and 98/14. The license is adjacent to
parent company Northern Petroleum?s Isle of Wight onshore
license, PEDL 240, issued in May 2008.
The new concession includes the offshore extension from PEDL
240 of a prospect mapped prior to 2008 using seismic and well
data, and is located in the same petroleum basin containing
the Wytch Farm field. However, there is no firm drilling
commitment attached to the license award.
Northern acknowledged that the prospect is in an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty
(AONB) and a Heritage Coast, which will impose challenges on
field operations.
Among the other awards, Suncor gained a license for blocks
12/26b & 12/27 off the far north of Scotland, in partnership
with Noreco.
First Oil won operatorship of blocks 12/16b &12/17b in the
Inner Moray Firth off northeast Scotland. According to
partner Nautical Petroleum, both exhibit prospectivity in the
Lower Cretaceous (Coracle and Punt sandstones) and the Upper
Jurassic (Alhess and Claymore sandstones).
The blocks are northeast of the Ithaca-operated Beatrice and
Jacky fields and the 12/21-3 discovery. The initial license
term is four years with a decision to drill a well required
by the end of this period.
Finally, Serica Energy won operatorship of block 110/8b in
the East Irish Sea off northwest
England. There is a commitment to reprocess 3D seismic to
delineate a gas prospect.
In the southern UK gas basin, blocks 47/2b (split), 47/3g
(split), 47/7 (split) and 47/8d (part)
were offered under a single license to Centrica, with Serica
among the partners.
These blocks are immediately adjacent to the York field, also
operated by Centrica. Serica says various gas prospects have
been identified at both Leman (Permian) and Namurian
(Carboniferous) levels, which if proven, could be developed
through the York facilities. The work commitments include a
3D seismic survey and reprocessing of existing seismic.
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