Offshore staff
LONDON – Encore Oil is working on plans for appraisal/exploration wells on four prospects on the UK shelf.
The first will probably be an appraisal well on the Cladhan light oil discovery in block 210/29a in the northern North Sea, either late this year or during spring 2010. The initial well, drilled by operator Sterling Resources last November, confirmed a stratigraphically trapped, 110-ft (33.5-m) oil column with no apparent oil-water contact.
This May, EnCore assumed operatorship of blocks 28/9 and 28/10c after previous operator Oilexco went into administration. It is now working with Premier Oil, Nautical Petroleum, and Wintershall on plans for a well on the Catcher prospect, which it expects to drill next year.
EnCore has 70% of the Bennett prospect in block 43/15a, where last year new 2D seismic was acquired and 3D data re-processed to improve imaging. Now that data has been interpreted, the company is seeking a further partner to co-fund a well, possibly in 2010.
And following drilling of the Cobra appraisal well last year in block 48/2c-5, EnCore and its partners have conducted subsurface geotechnical studies. The aim is to re-drill the 48/2c-5 well as a horizontal well, completing it with fracture stimulation.
06/25/2009
