Offshore staff
HOUSTON -- Plains Exploration & Production Co. has hit pay with the Friesian No. 2 well in the Gulf of Mexico.
In November of 2006, the original discovery well, Friesian No.1, was drilled to a total depth of 29,414 ft (8,965 m) and encountered more than 120 ft (37 m) of net oil pay in Green Canyon block 599. Friesian No.2 offset well is in adjacent Green Canyon block 643 approximately 3,300 ft (1,006 m) due south of the initial discovery well.
The PXP-operated Friesian No.2 well was drilled to a total depth of 28,989 ft (8,836 m) and encountered approximately 389 net ft (119 m) of oil saturated Miocene aged sands with three main sand lobes encountering more than 210 net ft of high quality oil pay plus a fourth sand lobe encountering 179 additional ft (56 m) of oil pay that was not fully evaluated.
These four pay sands, all full to base with oil, are the uppermost field pays at the prolific Tahiti field approximately eight mi to the west across the basin syncline, the company says. Existing data show strong correlation, both geologic and pressure, from the initial Miocene field pay sands at Tahiti to the drilled portion of the Friesian No. 2 well.
PXP as operator and its partner decided to deepen the Friesian No.2 well an additional 3,500 ft (1,067 m) to 32,500 ft (9,906 m) true vertical depth to test the prolific main field equivalent sands such as the M15, M18, M21A, and M21B at Tahiti.
Several of these Tahiti pay sands have flow tested in excess of 25,000 b/d of oil. The initial drilling rig,Ocean Star, was not capable of drilling the No.2 well deeper so PXP now has the Ocean Monarch under contract and expects the arrival of the higher capability semisubmersible drilling rig in early March to begin the additional deepening.
Additionally, early stage commercialization initiatives for Friesian production are under study with multiple parties to target initial production by 2012, the company says.
01/29/2009
