Offshore staff
LONDON– Drilling of the deepwater Late Cretaceous Zaedyus prospect off French Guiana has proven problematic, according to Tullow Oil.
The ENSCO 8503 rig spudded the well in March to test an extension of the Jubilee play off Ghana across the Atlantic. However delays have occurred, with issues arising from drilling in a new basin with little or no comparative data. The rig also had to withstand strong ocean currents and some hole instability.
The final section of the well is now being drilled, with results expected in September.
Off neighboring Guyana, the jackup Atwood Beacon’s well on the Late Cretaceous Jaguar prospect also got set back, in this case due to operational and weather delays on previous wells. The operation should now start some time in 4Q 2011, Tullow says, and should take 180 days to drill.
In block 47 offshore Suriname, the company and its partners have initiated an Environmental Impact Assessment study, and aim to have approvals in place to start acquiring around 2,000 sq km (772 sq mi) of 3D seismic early next year.
They hope to begin the program in April, during the optimum weather window in this region.
Offshore West Africa, Tullow is a partner to Hess in the Ceiba field and the Okume Complex off Equatorial Guinea. There has been some water breakthrough on the Okume field, but planning is under way to maintain production at current levels, which includes the tieback of the Akom North field to the Okume Complex in 4Q 2011.
A work-over campaign is scheduled for Ceiba field at year-end, and infill drilling is also under consideration for both fields following a recent time-lapse 3D seismic survey.
Off Cote d’Ivoire, Force Majeure was lifted last month from Tullow’s CI-103 and CI-105 exploration blocks, and drilling plans are well advanced. Tullow has secured a rig to drill the Kosrou-1 well in CI-105 in late 2011 and the Paon-1 well in CI-103 in early 2012.
Finally, Tullow has reached agreement with NamPower on the design of the Kudu field gas production facilities off Namibia and the onshore Kudu power station.
Gas sales agreement and project development agreement negotiations have resumed. FEED studies for both the upstream and downstream components should resume during 4Q 2011, subject to final commercial agreement. An investment decision is targeted for mid-2011, which could deliver first gas and power generation in the second half of 2015.
08/24/2011
