Hurricane’s Lancaster pilot well confirms oil presence

UK-based oil and gas exploration company Hurricane Energy has completed drilling of the pilot well at its Lancaster field west of Shetland Islands, confirming oil presence.

The well, located in license P1368 Central in which Hurricane has a 100% interest, had been drilled using the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling rig.

The 205/21a-7 pilot well is the first in a two-well program designed to refine the Lancaster resource range, provide a second future production well and provide new information to help optimally plan the Lancaster field development.

The company on Friday said the testing and logging phase of the pilot well 205/21a-7 well were completed. Operations are now progressing as planned to permanently abandon the Pilot Well reservoir section prior to side-tracking the top-hole to form the 7Z horizontal sidetrack (the “Horizontal Well”).

Significant hydrocarbon colum

Providing preliminary estimates of the pilot well results hurricane said that a very significant hydrocarbon column of at least 620 meters is present within the basement extending well below structural closure (which is 1,380 meters true vertical depth (sub-sea)) confirming Hurricane’s reservoir model for the Lancaster field.

Furthermore, provisional analysis indicates a minimum oil down to (“ODT”) at 1,620m TVDSS, 240 meters true vertical depth below structural closure, Hurricane said, adding that wireline fluid samples have demonstrated mobile oil of a gravity consistent with Lancaster oil to a depth of 1,646 meters TVDSS.

Drill Stem Testing of the basement reservoir yielded a maximum, natural flow rate of 6,600 bopd and a maximum flow rate of 11,000 bopd (artificial lift with an electrical submersible pump) of good quality 38 API oil with no formation water produced.

Next up -horizontal well

The next stage of operations involves drilling of the Horizontal Well. This is designed to provide a second future production well and additional information to help optimally plan the Lancaster field development.

Robert Trice, Hurricane’s CEO, said: “I am delighted that the Pilot Well has confirmed a significant oil column deeper than the 2C Case set out in the Company’s CPR. Our initial assessment of the well results, which are subject to refinement of the provisional data, suggest that the Lancaster field is likely to be significantly greater than the 200mm bbls 2C case.

“The combination of high flow rates, an extensive oil column and underlying aquifer materially de-risks Hurricane’s plans for a future Lancaster field development and further underlines the potential of the fractured basement West of Shetland.”

Hurricane has previously said that subject to a success of the Lancaster wells, Hurricane Energy expects it could make a final investment decision to progress the ES phase of development on Lancaster, which is expected to involve tying back two horizontal wells to an FPSO host facility, in the first half 2017.

Assuming a suitable FPSO can be sourced, Hurricane said that first oil could be achieved in the first half 2019.

Offshore Energy Today Staff