Testing confirms presence of light oil at Hurricane’s UK well

Hurricane Energy has reported that the results of testing of the Lincoln Crestal well located offshore the UK have confirmed the presence of light oil, which can be produced at commercial rates. The well will be tied-back to the Aoka Mizu FPSO next year.

Lincoln Crestal is the second well in a three-well program on the Greater Warwick Area (GWA).

The well was spudded on July 12, 2019, using the Transocean Leader drilling rig, and was drilled to a total depth of 1,780 m TVDSS. It included a 720 m horizontal section of fractured basement reservoir.

Earlier this week, Hurricane confirmed that a drill stem test on the Lincoln Crestal well had produced oil to surface, resulting in a flare.

In an update on Thursday, Hurricane said that testing of the Lincoln Crestal well recorded a maximum stable flowrate of 9,800 stock tank barrels of oil per day (stb/d) with the use of electrical submersible pumps (ESPs). The well flowed at an average rate of 4,682 stb/d under natural conditions. No formation water was produced.

The well will now be suspended, subject to regulatory approval, with long-term gauges installed to test interference with future GWA wells. It is then planned to be tied-back to the Aoka Mizu FPSO during 2020, subject to further technical evaluations, regulatory consent and final investment decision by the joint venture.

Production from the tie-back would generate reservoir data to be used in planning future phases of development.

The Transocean Leader semi-submersible rig will now move to the location for the third well in the 2019 GWA drilling program, 204/30b-A ‘Warwick West’.

Dr Robert Trice, Chief Executive of Hurricane, commented: “We are delighted with the results of the Lincoln Crestal well. We have confirmed the presence of light oil which can be produced at commercial rates. The Lincoln Crestal well is now planned to be tied back to the Aoka Mizu FPSO next year. This would make Lincoln the second producing basement field in the UK.

“Based on the result of the 2016 Lincoln well, RPS Energy assigned 2C contingent resources of 604 million barrels of oil equivalent to Lincoln. This successful result brings us closer to monetizing this huge resource.”

Spotted a typo? Have something more to add to the story? Maybe a nice photo? Contact our editorial team via email.

Also, if you’re interested in showcasing your company, product or technology on Offshore Energy Today, please contact us via our advertising form where you can also see our media kit.