Hurricane completes horizontal sidetrack well test on Lancaster

UK-based oil and gas exploration company Hurricane Energy has completed testing operations on the 205 21a-7Z horizontal sidetrack well at its Lancaster field west of Shetland Islands.

Hurricane said on Thursday that the company has proceeded to suspend the well as a future producer, providing a second production well ahead of the Early Production System (EPS) phase of development.

The company added that the productivity from the 1-kilometer horizontal sidetrack well was consistent with that achieved in Hurricane’s 205 21a-6 horizontal well, drilled on Lancaster in 2014.

To remind, Hurricane completed drilling of the 205/21a-7 pilot well back in September proving a hydrocarbon column of at least 620 meters within the basement. It extended well below structural closure which is 1,380 meters of sub-sea true vertical depth confirming Hurricane’s reservoir model for the Lancaster field.

The next stage involved drilling of the horizontal well, designed to provide a second future production well and additional information to help plan the Lancaster field development.

Testing of the horizontal sidetrack well recorded a sustainable stable flow rate under natural conditions of 6,520 stock tank barrels of oil per day (STB/d) and a sustainable flow rate using an Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) of at least 14,500 STB/d. The testing resulted in a productivity index of 147 STB/d per pound per square inch (psi).

Both the flow rate using an ESP and the natural flow rate were constrained by the test equipment and no formation water was produced during the testing operations.

Robert Trice, Hurricane’s CEO, said: “We are very encouraged by these excellent test results which support the company’s plans for a Lancaster field development and demonstrate that we now have two highly productive horizontal wells which we will use in our EPS.

“We will now be progressing a new Competent Person’s Report (CPR) which will incorporate data gathered from this year’s drilling campaign. The CPR publication date is targeted for the first half of 2017 to coincide with the approval of the company’s field development plan for the Lancaster EPS.”

Hurricane’s next step will be spudding of the Lincoln well following the removal of the wear bushing from the 205-21a-6 well.