14 June 2015
MUSCAT: Exploration activities targeting hydrocarbon prospects in Block 42 are set to shift into higher gear as Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production (OOCEP), the wholly owned upstream subsidiary of Oman Oil Company, prepares to drill its first exploration well in this frontier hydrocarbon domain in the east of the country.
OOCEP has a 100 per cent interest in the 25,600 sq kilometre concession encompassing the northeast coastal range of the Oman mountains and the basin immediately to the south under the Rimal al Sharqiya (Wahiba Sands). It is also the operator of the block, part of a portfolio of licenses that has placed this exclusively Omani oil and gas exploration and production in the top tier of oil companies operating in the Sultanate.
According to the company, two key prospects have been identified as "drilling candidates" in the priority (Area-1) prospective zone. The first exploration well has been scheduled for drilling in the current second quarter of this year in line with OOCEP's commitment under an Exploration & Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) signed with the Omani government. The well will test the presence of hydrocarbons in the Rimal al Sharqiya structure.
A second exploration well is planned to follow on the heels of the first well targeting independent reservoirs in the Sedrah NW structure. "The second well is considered as a play opener and, upon success, will have major implication on block prospectivity. The two wells are planned to be drilled back to back to optimize civil construction and rig mobilisation activities," the company stated in a newly released report of its exploration activities.
Significantly, the two exploration wells are the result of comprehensive seismic interpretation and mapping work done by OOCEP in the Priority Area-1 zone. A number of potential exploration leads have been mapped at Haima, Mid-Lower Nafun, Masirah Bay and Abu Mahara reservoir levels, the company said.
Block 42, says OOCEP, represents a "suitable starting point" for the implementation of its goals to conduct exploration operations in Oman. According to the company, exploration in the concession is still at the margins of a frontier exploration domain where geological risks are relatively higher but could open altogether a new material hydrocarbon province in Oman if exploratory wells come to be successful. The presence of hydrocarbons has already been proven by previous exploration wells reporting hydrocarbon shows in several reservoir intervals.
The announcement builds on key high points achieved by the company in 2014. Towards the end of the year, the company celebrated the successful start of first gas production from its Abu Tubul tight gas project in Block 60, effectively becoming the first player to produce commercial tight gas in the Sultanate.
OOCEP is also gearing up to launch its Musandam Gas Project (MGP) at Tibat in the north of the country.
Pre-commissioning of all process systems has commenced with commissioning slated during the middle of Q3 2015, it said.
MUSCAT: Exploration activities targeting hydrocarbon prospects in Block 42 are set to shift into higher gear as Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production (OOCEP), the wholly owned upstream subsidiary of Oman Oil Company, prepares to drill its first exploration well in this frontier hydrocarbon domain in the east of the country.
OOCEP has a 100 per cent interest in the 25,600 sq kilometre concession encompassing the northeast coastal range of the Oman mountains and the basin immediately to the south under the Rimal al Sharqiya (Wahiba Sands). It is also the operator of the block, part of a portfolio of licenses that has placed this exclusively Omani oil and gas exploration and production in the top tier of oil companies operating in the Sultanate.
According to the company, two key prospects have been identified as "drilling candidates" in the priority (Area-1) prospective zone. The first exploration well has been scheduled for drilling in the current second quarter of this year in line with OOCEP's commitment under an Exploration & Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) signed with the Omani government. The well will test the presence of hydrocarbons in the Rimal al Sharqiya structure.
A second exploration well is planned to follow on the heels of the first well targeting independent reservoirs in the Sedrah NW structure. "The second well is considered as a play opener and, upon success, will have major implication on block prospectivity. The two wells are planned to be drilled back to back to optimize civil construction and rig mobilisation activities," the company stated in a newly released report of its exploration activities.
Significantly, the two exploration wells are the result of comprehensive seismic interpretation and mapping work done by OOCEP in the Priority Area-1 zone. A number of potential exploration leads have been mapped at Haima, Mid-Lower Nafun, Masirah Bay and Abu Mahara reservoir levels, the company said.
Block 42, says OOCEP, represents a "suitable starting point" for the implementation of its goals to conduct exploration operations in Oman. According to the company, exploration in the concession is still at the margins of a frontier exploration domain where geological risks are relatively higher but could open altogether a new material hydrocarbon province in Oman if exploratory wells come to be successful. The presence of hydrocarbons has already been proven by previous exploration wells reporting hydrocarbon shows in several reservoir intervals.
The announcement builds on key high points achieved by the company in 2014. Towards the end of the year, the company celebrated the successful start of first gas production from its Abu Tubul tight gas project in Block 60, effectively becoming the first player to produce commercial tight gas in the Sultanate.
OOCEP is also gearing up to launch its Musandam Gas Project (MGP) at Tibat in the north of the country.
Pre-commissioning of all process systems has commenced with commissioning slated during the middle of Q3 2015, it said.
© Oman Daily Observer 2015
