Mubadala adds extra development well to Manora campaign

Mubadala Petroleum has added another development well to its Manora drilling campaign in the Gulf of Thailand, expanding it to four new development wells.

As reported in May, Mubadala Petroleum and its partner Tap Oil decided to drill, complete, and put on production three wells in the Manora field in the Gulf of Thailand, using the Valaris 115 jack-up drilling rig.

In an update on Tuesday, Tap said that, following commercial evaluation and technical assessment including reservoir modelling, the two companies have agreed ongoing production optimisation will be enhanced by an additional well in the highly productive 490-60 sands of the Manora’s Eastern Fault Block.

The fourth well – MNA-28 – is expected to spud in mid-June 2020. The well was originally scheduled as a 2021 development well.

As explained by Tap, the decision to drill it now follows positive initial results of the first three wells of the 2020 program which is currently under budget and ahead of schedule.

The MNA-28 well will be drilled from a new platform slot and is designed to add an additional drainage point in the thick oil bearing 490-60 sand in the highly productive Eastern Fault Block of the Manora Oil Field.

The well is justified by reservoir simulation of the main 490-60 reservoir as it will both accelerate production and produce otherwise undrained oil between the MNA18 and MNA- 20 wells.

It will be drilled as a deviated well to a maximum measured depth of 2,102.5 metres and be completed in the 490-60 reservoir.

The estimated additional cost to drill and complete the well is $3 million, with $0.9 million net to Tap.

The operator’s estimated initial production rate is approximately 1,600 bopd.

Tap’s Executive Chairman, Chris Newton, said: “The excellent performance of the Mubadala Petroleum drilling team utilising the Valaris 115 jack-up drilling rig presented the opportunity with the rig already on location to accelerate the drilling of this previously scheduled 2021 development well.

“Acceleration is a compelling proposition from a production optimisation, cost efficiency, flexibility and economic perspective and leverages off the ongoing continuous improvement in Manora drilling cost performance”.