UK: EnCore Oil plc Completes Testing of Catcher Well

EnCore Oil plc announces that well testing operations on the EnCore operated ‘Catcher’ oil discovery located in UK Central North Sea block 28/9 have been completed. EnCore and its co-venturers now plan to side-track the well to the Catcher East area.

The fluid sampling programme was successfully performed with bottom hole and surface samples all being collected as planned. The test has confirmed the API gravity to be circa 30 degrees and from earlier wireline samples the oil has a Gas Oil Ratio (GOR) of 280 scf/bbl and a viscosity at reservoir conditions of 4 centipoise.  Preliminary well test interpretation shows the reservoir to have an average permeability in excess of 1.5 Darcies. Although hydrocarbons flowed naturally to the surface during testing, there was a mechanical restriction in the test string which meant that it was not possible to flow the well in a stabilised manner through the separator.

The co-venturers have decided that samples successfully gathered to date and well deliverability estimates provide the necessary information required to undertake development studies and now plan to side-track to the Catcher East area. The side-track is expected to take approximately 10-12 days to complete, subject to weather and operational delays, and will commence following abandonment of the lower section of the current well. The co-venturers will then decide whether to drill a further side-track within the Catcher discovery area.

Alan Booth, EnCore’s Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“Our initial views of Catcher have been reaffirmed by the information we have gathered. Most importantly we have gathered all the necessary information we need to progress our studies. Our next task is to side track into the Catcher East area where we hope to encounter additional hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs. If successful, we believe the Catcher East area will have the potential to add significant additional volumes both to the Catcher discovery and, subject to further appraisal activity, elsewhere in the licence. The group are still considering an additional side-track into the original Catcher structure to further understand reservoir development following the Catcher East side-track.”

The equity in the joint venture partnership is as follows: EnCore Oil plc (15 per cent., Operator), Premier Oil (35 per cent.), Wintershall (UK North Sea) Limited (20 per cent.), Nautical Petroleum (15 per cent.) and Agora Oil & Gas (15 per cent.).

The 28/9-1 Catcher well was spudded on 17 May 2010 and established a minimum 240ft oil column with a calculated net pay of 90ft.

EnCore Oil plc is an oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company quoted on AIM.

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Source: encoreoil, June 14, 2010: