All posts by AOGR

James Bay Sees First Oil From Ogedeh by Mid 2013

Section: In the news · September 4, 2012 · 1 comment |

The Canadian company shall be the operator of the Project for the life of the Project
JBR acquires 47% direct interest in the property by paying a farm in fee of US$2,500,000

James Bay Resources Limited is hoping to deliver first oil from the Ogedeh Field in Nigeria by mid 2013. The Canadian independent entered into its first Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) in that country with Bicta Energy, the Nigerian holder of the marginal field. James Bay says that The JOA and Deed of Assignment (DOA) have been filed with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). James Bay is also completing its due diligence work on the acquisition.

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Rialto Energy Is Certain of 40MiIlion “Scuf”

Section: In the news · September 4, 2012 · No comments |

It’s the kind of volume considered by major oil companies to be suboptimal, but Rialto Energy is delighted by the certainty that initial gas production from its Gazelle field in Cote d’lvoire will be around 40 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d). The figures were calculated from the wireline data obtained from UC-5 reservoir in Gazelle P-4, the company’s latest well on the field. There has been no test. Rialto says that 40MMcf/d is “material contribution to the target 100MMcfd for the proposed Gazelle Field gas development plan.

“Gazelle P-4 has provided three key oil/gas water contacts at this step out location and provided critical data to reduce volumetric uncertainty across the field”. This allows the company to complete volume estimates for the revised Competent Person’s Report for the Gazelle Field that is expected to be ready in late October 2012.

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El Merk On Course For 2012 Date

Section: In the news · August 31, 2012 · No comments |

Algeria’s El Merk oil and gas project is on course for commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2012. The El Merk central processing facility will serve as a production hub for the region, processing hydrocarbons initially from Block 208, operated by the Sonatrach/Anadarko Association, and from the unitised EMK field located on a portion of both
Block 208 and the Sonatrach/ConocoPhillips operated Block 405a.
The project will be operated by Sonatrach and Anadarko on behalf of the El Merk partners: Sonatrach, Anadarko, Maersk Oil, Eni, ConocoPhillips and Talisman. Block 208 is located 90 km south of the Sonatrach/Anadarko-operated Hassi Berkine South (HBNS) facility.

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Algeria Applies To Join The Shale Gas Club

Section: Farm in, Farm Out · August 31, 2012 · 1 comment |

Algeria, located squarely in water –starved desert terrain, has become the first African country to officially sanction exploration and exploitation of Shale gas in its petroliferous basins.
Nine months after signing a cooperation agreement with ENI, the country is pleading with Anglo Dutch major Shell and US behemoth ExxonMobil to bring their technologies for the development of unconventional oil, with particular focus on shale gas. Negotiations with those two companies are ongoing.

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Equatorial Guinea: Ophir – Two Up In Three Well Campaign

Section: Oil patch Sub-Sahara · August 31, 2012 · No comments |

Australian operator Ophir encountered 117metre net gas sands in Tonel-1, and a 55-metre gas bearing column containing 40 metres of net pay in Fortuna East-1well, which are two of the three main wells in its Equatorial Guinea 2012 drilling campaign.

The campaign began as batch drilling, with the Eirik Raude semisubmersible first drilling the top-hole sections at both Fortuna East and Fortuna West before moving to the Tonel-1 location to drill the entire well. The three probes are all in Block R. Ophir said the Tonel-1 and Fortuna East discoveries exceeded pre-drill expectations.

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Somaliland: Horn Tests Water In Shabeel North

Section: Oil patch Sub-Sahara · August 30, 2012 · No comments |

Horn Petroleum has reported recovering fresh water in an open hole Drill StemTest (DST) conducted over a zone suspected to be hydrocarbon bearing in Shabeel North 1, its second well in Somaliland.
The test was conducted over a 50 metre gross interval, containing several sands in the upper portion of the primary Jesomma Formation which had oil shows. “The test recovered fresh water (1200 ppm Cl-) without any traces of oil”, the company stated in a release. “The current plan is to drill ahead to the originally planned depth of
approximately 2400 metres which will penetrate the remaining section of Jesomma sands at which point the entire
section will be evaluated by electrical logging to determine if further testing is warranted”.

Cote D’Ivoire: Rialto Completes Gazelle Well With “Good Gas Rate”

Section: Oil patch Sub-Sahara · August 8, 2012 · No comments |

Rialto, the AIM listed minnow, has Rtested gas flow rate of 19.5 million standard cubic feet per day (19.5MMsf/d) of gas aswell as 133 barrels of condensate per day (133BCPD) in its first operated well in Block Cl-202, offshore Cote
d’Ivoire.
Rialto has now completed the Gazelle-P3 ST2well testing programmeand the well will now be suspended for future use.
The company reported that 40 API Oil was recovered at an unstabilised rate of 760 BOPD prior to well ‘channelling’ gas. “The flow rates confirm productivity of UC-1 reservoir sands”, a press release said.
“The maximum gas flow rate was constrained due to downhole equipment limitations. The estimated deliverability of the reservoir with standard 4.5″ production tubing rather than the 3.5″ test string is 33MMscf/d”, Rialto said. “The main DST focused on the Upper Cenomanian (UC-1C) gas reservoir (over the interval 2632.9-2666.6 mMDRT), successfully achieving an average flowrate during a ten hour period of 17.5 mmscfd gas through a 44/64” choke,
with a flowing wellhead pressure of 1470 psia”.
Prior to undertaking the oil test, cement bond logs indicated that the zones may not be hydraulically isolated in the well bore. As a result, the UC-1A oil reservoir (perforated over the interval 2678.0- 2713.2 mMDRT) achieved an unstabillised flow rate of 760 BOPD before gas, originating from the overlying gas reservoir via behind-casing
channelling, prevented further oil flow from this interval.

Great Expectations

Section: Opinion · July 25, 2012 · No comments |

By Adedayo Ojo

The Nigerian oil and gas industry is undergoing what will arguably be its most transformative season. The revised and harmonised version of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been forwarded to the national assembly; there has been a change in the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum (NNPC); the Special Committee on Subsidy Payment Verification and Reconciliation has submitted an interim report and EFCC has arraigned a few individuals and corporates. These are significant issues for the oil sector, nay the economy.

The world waits with great expectations, hope and anxiety that these events will play out positively and provide the much needed drive for economic and social transformation.

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Bonga, Endeavour & Macondo

Section: Opinion · May 21, 2012 · No comments |

By Adedayo Ojo

Explosions, leaks and spills that occur in the course of oil and gas operations are very ugly incidents. As philosophical musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was wont to say: “they leave sorrow, tears and blood”. In the aftermath of disasters, companies’ reputations take a knock, revenue takes a dip, the ecosystem is damaged – sometimes permanently; people die, sometimes within seconds.

While there are no fool proof templates to manage disasters, the deft handling could offer positive lessons. Certain elements of disaster management stand out as key in the response strategy – swiftness of response, collaborative effort, commitment and involvement of senior management as well expression of genuine care and concern.

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Tullow’s Reputation and Other Dreams

Section: Opinion · April 21, 2012 · No comments |

By Adedayo Ojo

Tullow Oil has just emerged from perhaps its toughest challenge with a regulatory authority in Africa, a continent it likes to call its home.

With two Production Sharing agreements, signed by the Ugandan Government, in hand, the company can beat its chest about having shown remarkable dexterity in managing issues and has proven its ability to overcome the type of challenges that readily overwhelms less determined and less focused players.
It has taken 18 months to come this far.

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