Offshore staff

MADRID -- Repsol has hit pay with the Montanazo D-5 and Lubina-1 wells in the Spanish Mediterranean Sea. Preliminary estimates show that the wells could produce oil for 5-7 years, extending the productive life of the area, the company reports.

The Montanazo D-5 well in the Montanazo D concession reached a total depth of 2,354 m (7,723 ft). Initial tests indicate flow rates of 3,800 b/d of 32º API crude oil. The Lubina-1 well, north of Montanazo D-5, reached a total depth of 2,439 m (8,002 ft). Tests indicate flow rates of 3,700 b/d of 31.5º API crude oil.

The total production from the two wells could almost quadruple Spain’s existing 2,000 b/d of oil production, the company says. They are in the same area as the Repsol Casablanca production platform which already channels output from the Casablanca, Boqueron, Rodaballo, and Chipirón fields.

The crude oil coming from the discoveries will be processed and transported, together with the rest of the production from the other fields, through a 43-km (27-mi) pipeline that links the Casablanca platform to the coast.

07/02/2009