Owowo was a hit, Nexen confirms

Offshore staff

CALGARY, Canada -- Total’s Owowo South B-1 exploratory well earlier this year off Nigeria was an oil discovery, partner Nexen has confirmed.

The well was drilled in the southern portion of Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 223, in a water depth of 670 m (2,198 ft), 20 km (12.4 mi) northeast of the Usan field. The well reached a total depth of 2,227 m (7,306 ft) and encountered several oil-bearing reservoirs containing light oil, according to logs and other analysis.

Nexen adds that development of Usan in block OML 138 is making good progress. The project is based around an FPSO with oil storage capacity of 2 MMbbl. Fabrication of the hull and most of the topsides should be completed next year, with further development drilling and well completion activities. Usan should come on-stream in 2012, building to a plateau production rate of 180,000 b/d.

In the North Sea, Nexen plans to drill various wildcats including the North Uist prospect west of Shetland, and Brand, its first well off Norway. Both prospects have higher target sizes than the company’s typical North Sea targets.

The company is also lining up eight other exploration and appraisal wells in the sector, including Bluebell, a possible southerly extension of the Buzzard field, and Deacon and Bugle, both stratigraphic traps.

At Buzzard, the topsides for the fourth platform should be installed during spring 2010, with start-up scheduled for 2011. The new platform contains production sweetening facilities designed to handle higher levels of hydrogen sulfide, which should allow plateau output to be maintained through at least 2014. Nexen also plans to drill five production wells and one injection well.

At Scott/Telford, the company is set to drill a further development well to lift production volumes. And it is considering further development drilling at Ettrick and appraisal drilling at the Blackbird discovery, which would be a tie-back to Ettrick.

12/09/2009