Inpex encounters “strong gas indications” off Japan

Japanese LNG terminal developer, Inpex on Friday said it has completed the drilling operations at an exploratory well offshore Shimane and Yamaguchi prefectures.

The operations consisted of drilling to a depth of 2,900m below the sea floor at a location with water depth of approximately 210 meters, Inpex said.

The company noted that the drilling operations resulted in the findings of a thin gas reservoir in a shallow zone as well as some gas indications in deeper zones. However, Inpex hit “unexpected, strong gas indications” suggesting the presence of a high pressure gas column in the deepest zone.

Inpex intends to conduct a detailed analysis and evaluation of the data obtained through the drilling in the area that has not been drilled since the 1980s. Based on the results Inpex will decide whether to continue the exploration of prospects in the area.

The drilling program was part of a project commissioned by the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan for the agency’s “Heisei 26~28 Domestic Offshore Drilling Program in Japan”.