Northern Starts Extended Well Test at Markwells Wood

- Northern Starts Extended Well Test at Markwells Wood

Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Northern Petroleum plc

Northern Petroleum has started operations for an extended well test of the Markwells Wood oil discovery in West Sussex. The test will enable Northern Petroleum and its joint venture partners - Magellan Petroleum (UK) Limited and Egdon Resources U.K. Limited - to evaluate the potential and scheme for future development of the Markwells Wood oil accumulation.

The Workover rig arrived on site on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. The production string is being installed prior to the installation of testing facilities to enable testing operations to begin in early October 2011.

Production testing may take 40 days and will utilize a Linear Reciprocal Pump that has a lower height profile, lower noise emission and a smaller footprint than the more traditional 'Nodding Donkey' pump.

Depending on the results of those initial tests, acid stimulation may be applied to the reservoir formation.

Interests in License 126 are as follows:

• Northern Petroleum (GB) Limited 50%
• Magellan Petroleum (UK) Limited 40%
• Egdon Resources U.K. Limited 10%

Derek Musgrove, the Managing Director of Northern Petroleum stated, "Oil was encountered during the drilling of Markwells Wood towards the end of 2010. A core sample in the Great Oolite reservoir formation was successfully recovered and subsequently subjected to many laboratory tests. These established petrophysical characteristics of the formation and preferred stimulation treatments if required. Following completion of this work, the current program was designed and contracts issued."

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Total Starts Up Taps at Pazflor Field

- Total Starts Up Taps at Pazflor Field

Friday, August 26, 2011
Total
by SubseaIQ

Total, operator of Block 17, announced that the giant Pazflor field offshore Angola has come on stream ahead of the initial schedule. The Pazflor field lies 150 kilometers off Luanda in water depths ranging from 600 to 1,200 meters and has estimated proved and probable reserves of 590 million barrels. The field will gradually ramp up to its full production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day over the coming months.

"Pazflor's start-up, several weeks ahead of schedule and within budget, is a remarkable achievement of the teams involved. The support and trust of Sonangol, our concession holder and partner, also made an invaluable contribution to our efficiency," said Yves-Louis Darricarrère, President Exploration & Production at Total. "Pazflor required a development effort on the same scale as the field. Paving a way with new technologies, the project showcases Total's expertise in highly complex environments. The project facilities have been designed and thoroughly tested in accordance with the strictest health, safety and environmental standards. This is another step in the ongoing saga of our deep offshore feats, begun right here in Angola. Deepwater developments are a core driver of our future production growth."

Pazflor comprises a vast subsea gathering network, the most complex ever built in Angola: 180 kilometers of lines tying in 49 subsea wells, 10,000 metric tons of subsea equipment and the giant Pazflor floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. Held in position by 16 subsea mooring connectors, with its 325 meters long, 62 meters wide and a weight of more than 120,000 metric tons, the FPSO is the largest in the world. It can store up to 1.9 million barrels of oil that is then exported to tankers via an offloading buoy. The associated gas is reinjected into the reservoir, but could also be exported to the Angola LNG plant once the latter becomes operational.

A key technical challenge was producing two very different grades of oil from four separate reservoirs. Producing the heavy, viscous oil from the three Miocene reservoirs, which account for two-thirds of the reserves, and the related flow assurance constraints, represented a major challenge. The gas has to be separated from the liquids on the seabed so that the viscous liquids can then be pumped to the surface. The design and installation of subsea gas-liquid separation units and pumps are a world first on this scale. The pumps were purpose designed and tested for Pazflor.

Total's wholly owned subsidiary Total E&P Angola operates Block 17, with a 40% interest, while Sonangol is the concession holder. The other partners are Statoil ASA (23.3%), Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited (20%) and BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd (16.67%).

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Aurelian Starts Flow Test at Polish Well

- Aurelian Starts Flow Test at Polish Well

Thursday, August 25, 2011
Aurelian O&G plc

Aurelian provided the following operational update.

A stabilized flow test, expected to last between 14 and 28 days, has now commenced at the second Siekierki MFHW, Trzek-3. The planned six fracs have been completed without material mechanical issues. Well clean up operations and a Memory Production Log have all been completed.

A further update will be provided at the end of the stabilized flow test.

Trzek-3 is targeting a separate high to other wells in the Siekierki structure with a recoverable resource estimated at between 16 and 28bcf.

The Siekierki project is located on the Poznan licenses which are 100% held by Energia Zachόd Sp. z.o.o., a company owned 90% by Aurelian and 10% by Avobone N.V.

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Exoma Starts Drilling 5th Well in 2011 Exploration Campaign

- Exoma Starts Drilling 5th Well in 2011 Exploration Campaign

Monday, August 22, 2011
Exoma Energy Ltd.

Exoma announced that the fifth well of its 2011 exploration campaign, Katherine-1, has spudded. The primary target of this well will be Shale Gas in the Toolebuc Formation of the Eromanga Basin in Central Queensland.

After coring the shale, this well will be deepened to test a potential conventional oil play in the underlying Hutton sandstone. The Katherine-1 oil test is a follow up to Toobrac-1, a well drilled in 1985 that discovered oil shows in a thin sand onlapping a basement high. The well is located down-dip on the structure and tests a potential thickening of the reservoir sand observed in the seismic data.

• Well Name: Katherine-1
• Permit: ATP 999P
• Location: Eromanga Basin, approx. 60km SSW of Longreach, Queensland.
• Target:
  • Primary Target: shale gas in the Toolebuc Formation. The carbonaceous Toolebuc Shale will be cored and the well logged. The shale core will be subject to laboratory analysis to identify source maturity, hydrocarbon type and content, detailed mineralogy, rock properties and permeability.
  • Secondary Target: conventional oil in the Hutton sandstone. The Hutton sandstone section will be rotary drilled and logged. If any hydrocarbons are present, the reservoir will be drill stem tested.
• Planned Depth: Toolebuc Formation 590 meters; Hutton Sandstone 1189 meters

Exoma has a 50% beneficial interest in both ATP 999P and the Katherine-1 well. CNOOC Galilee Gas is earning its participating interest by a farmin whereby CNOOC will provide the initial $50 million of joint venture expenditures on Exoma's five Gaililee Basin ATP's.

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Cooper Starts Drilling at Perlubie-2 Well

- Cooper Starts Drilling at Perlubie-2 Well

Friday, August 19, 2011
Cooper Energy Ltd.

Cooper announced that the Perlubie-2 appraisal/development well in PEL92 spudded at 10:00 am, Friday, August 19, 2011. The current operation is drilling the surface hole.

Perlubie-2 is targeting the Namur oil reservoir and is located 0.8 km to the southeast of the Perlubie-1 and 0.6 km to the northeast of Perlubie South-1 production wells. Perlubie-2 will be drilled to a total depth of 1,362 meters and is expected to take 8 days to drill and complete.

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Gulf Shores Starts Drilling Ops in Southeast Saskatchewan

- Gulf Shores Starts Drilling Ops in Southeast Saskatchewan

Friday, August 19, 201
Gulf Shores Resources Ltd.

Drilling has commenced on the 4-2-15-33W1 well in the Wapella area of Southeast Saskatchewan, said Gulf Shore Resources. Gulf Shores Resources Ltd. is paying 47.5% of the cost of this well to earn a 47.5% working interest. The well offsets the producing 5-2-15-33W1 Bakken oil well in which the Company also owns a 47.5% working interest.

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American Petro-Hunter Starts Drill Site Ops at N. Oklahoma Proj.

- American Petro-Hunter Starts Drill Site Ops at N. Oklahoma Proj.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011
American Petro-Hunter Inc.

American Petro-Hunter announced that drill site operations have commenced in preparation for the next horizontal oil well at the Company's North Oklahoma Mississippi Project development.

Site arrangements are underway including permitting and requisite documentation in advance of the spud of the newly designated NOW-2H well. The directional drilling contractor has been secured and the Company expects a spud date shortly.

The well is a direct offset to the NOM-1H well, which began production in July and will involve a similar lateral drilling operation into the recently discovered Mississippi reservoir. The Company has purchased full working interest participation in up to 11 additional horizontal wells within the play with the NOW-2H becoming the 2nd well implemented under the planned development program.

The leases in the horizontal play are being developed on 80 acre parcels, however the well spacing will be evaluated after each well is put into production for a period of 30-45 days prior to engineering any additional infill wells. This prudently engineered plan will ensure the maintenance of reservoir integrity over the life of the proposed 24 month drilling schedule. The program is envisioned to involve the drilling of approximately one horizontal Mississippi formation well every 30 to 60 days.

Given the dramatically increased levels of activity in the area, rig availability has become a key scheduling issue. As a result, the Company and partners have accelerated the spud date of the NOW-2H and have further determined that the previously announced vertical NOS-2-22 required a shift to October based on current rig logistics which ultimately provides greater overall benefits allowing for improved operational efficiency across both wells.

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OTG Starts Up New Production Line at Tx. Facility

- OTG Starts Up New Production Line at Tx. Facility

Monday, August 15, 2011
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc.

The Oilfield Technology Group (OTG) of Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., announced the startup of a new manufacturing production line at its Brady, Texas, facility to provide additional resin coated proppants to fracturing service companies and operators in the oil & gas industry.

"Industry demand continues to grow as more operators come to realize the correlation between curable resin coated proppants and enhanced post-frac well production. This expansion of our Brady resin coating plant allows us to provide our customers with the additional resin coated proppant supply they are requesting for their hydraulic fracturing treatments," said Jerry Borges, Vice President, Oilfield Technology Group.

The Brady plant expansion is the third addition to the OTG manufacturing grid in 2011. The new production line manufactures Momentive's field-proven curable resin coated proppants such as Prime PlusTM, SiberPropTM, and SB ExcelTM which are available in large grain sizes. These products and the plant's geographic location are especially suited to serve the nearby Eagle Ford and Permian Basin oil markets.

"The value of our high strength proppants is seen from the increased well production they consistently provide. By leveraging Momentive's technology from other industries, combined with our own internal resin manufacturing facilities, we will continue to bring innovative proppant technology to our customers," Borges said.

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Providence Starts 3D Seismic Acquisition Offshore Ireland

- Providence Starts 3D Seismic Acquisition Offshore Ireland

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Providence Resources plc

Providence has, on behalf of itself and its partners, commenced operations for its 3D seismic acquisition project in Frontier Exploration License (FEL) 4/08 in the Porcupine Basin, off the west coast of Ireland. Using a vessel supplied by Polarcus Limited, the c. 200 km2 3D survey is expected to run for approximately 15 days. Providence operates FEL 4/08 (32%) on behalf of its partners, Chrysaor E&P Ireland Limited (60%) and Sosina Exploration Limited (8%).

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Max Petroleum Starts Drilling at East Kyzylzhar Prospect

- Max Petroleum Starts Drilling at East Kyzylzhar Prospect

Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Max Petroleum plc

Max Petroleum has commenced drilling the KZIE-1 exploration well on the East Kyzylzhar I prospect in Block E. Total depth of the well will be approximately 1,500 meters, targeting potential Jurassic and Triassic reservoirs.

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Iraq Parliament Starts Debate on Reviving National Oil Company

- Iraq Parliament Starts Debate on Reviving National Oil Company

Monday, July 04, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
by Hassan Hafidh

The Iraqi parliament has held its first hearing session to pave the way for the debate on a controversial draft law to reestablish the Iraqi National Oil Company, which the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's regime invalidated in the 1980s, officials said Monday.

The session was attended by the country's Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi, two former oil ministers Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloom and Thamer al-Ghadhban as well as the head and members of the parliament's oil and energy committee and several Iraqi oil experts.

Absent from the parliamentary hearing was deputy prime minister for energy affairs Hussein al-Shahristani, a key ally of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

A draft law of the long-awaited new national oil company, which would revive a company originally established in the 1960s and merged into the Iraqi oil ministry in 1987, was passed by the then cabinet in July 2009 but has been stalled in the parliament since.

Oil minister Luaibi told the hearing that creation of a new Iraqi National Oil Company is not essential and "it would add nothing to the Iraqi oil sector."

While speaker of the parliament Osama al-Nujaifi, head of the parliament oil and energy committee Adnan al-Janabi and Ghadhban who is also the current top energy advisor to Prime Minister al-Maliik, voiced their support for reviving the company.

The INOC, if restored, would act as the parent of the existing South Oil Co., Iraq's largest petroleum company, North Oil Co., Missan Oil Co. and Midland Oil Co.

According to its draft law, the INOC would spearhead national and local strategy. It would carry out all sorts of oil operations from exploration down to marketing. The firm would also partner with or even compete against foreign companies to develop Iraqi fields.

The INOC will be a cabinet-level organization led by a president with ministerial rank. The company's board will include officials from the ministries of oil, finance and planning and the Central Bank of Iraq.

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Beach Starts Flow Stimulation at Holdfast-1

- Beach Starts Flow Stimulation at Holdfast-1

Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Beach Energy Ltd.

Beach advised that the flow stimulation of Holdfast-1 commenced over the weekend.

This is the first time flow stimulation has specifically targeted shale target zones at depth in the Cooper Basin, with the flow stimulation of Holdfast-1 to be undertaken in eight stages.

It is expected that the stimulation process will be completed within two weeks, after which the flow testing will commence (early July).

Participants in PEL 218 (Permian JV) are:

• Beach (Operator) 90%
• Adelaide Energy Ltd 10%

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TGS Starts Seismic Survey in North Viking Graben

- TGS Starts Seismic Survey in North Viking Graben

Wednesday, June 08, 2011
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. ASA

TGS has commenced the acquisition of a fourth 3D multi-client survey in partnership with PGS.

The survey covers 2,772 km2 in the North Viking Graben over an area which has proven to be a very successful petroleum province of the North Sea.

The data is being acquired by PGS' Atlantic Explorer utilizing GeoStreamer technology. This year's acquisition campaign, combined with the data acquired in 2009-2010, will total over 7,500 km2 of 3D data in this promising region.

The survey is supported by industry funding.

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Drillsearch: Drilling Starts at 2nd Well in Western Flank Oil Fairway Prog.

- Drillsearch: Drilling Starts at 2nd Well in Western Flank Oil Fairway Prog.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Drillsearch Energy Ltd.

Drillsearch announced that following the success of the Hanson—1 New Oil Field Discovery in PEL 91, Drillsearch's Western Flank Oil Fairway drilling program continues with the spudding of Snellings-1, the second well in the five well program. The Snellings-1 well spudded at 7.00am Monday, 6 June 2011. Drillsearch holds a 60% Interest in PEL 91 while Beach Energy (ASX: BPT) as operator holds 40%. The Hanson Oil discovery is estimated to contain gross recoverable oil of up to 1 million barrels. Drillsearch also holds a 60% interest in this discovery.

Snellings-1 oil exploration well is located 1500 meters north of the Hanson Oil Discovery and 1900 meters south of the Chiton Oil Field. The primary objective of the well is the Namur Sandstone which is the productive oil reservoir in both the Chiton Oil Discovery and the Hanson New Oil Field Discovery announced on May 30, 2011 along with numerous oil discoveries in the adjacent PEL 92 permit to the south of the Snellings prospect. The Birkhead Formation Sandstones, Hutton Sandstone and Poolowanna Sandstones are considered secondary targets for oil and have been proven at the Christies and Sellicks oilfields to the south and south east of Snellings-1. Drilling will be to a total depth of 1935mRT and it is expected that the drilling will take 10-14 days.

Seismic mapping of the Namur horizon indicates that the Snellings Structure has approximately 10 meters of independent structural relief and potentially encloses an area of 1.0km2. The Snellings Prospect is estimated to have up to P10 High-side Recoverable Prospective Resource potential of up to 1.0 million barrels of oil.

Details of the Snellings Prospect are set out in the attached Prospect Data Sheet and accompanying maps and seismic sections.
Snellings-1 will be drilled as a conventional vertical well with wireline logging and possible testing planned after the well reaches total depth. The main target zone is expected to be penetrated five to seven days after spud.

Mr. Brad Lingo, Managing Director noted that "following the success of the Hanson-1 Oil Discovery announced on May 30, 2011, the spudding of Snellings-1, the second well in our five well drilling program is very encouraging. We are progressing on schedule, and we look forward to providing you with further updates on the exploration work we are undertaking in the highly prospective Western Flank Oil Fairway."

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Nordic: New Lloydminster Well Starts Production

Nordic: New Lloydminster Well Starts Production

Friday, May 06, 2011
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd.

Donald Benson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. announced Friday that a new heavy oil well at Lloydminster, Alberta, located at 3D-11-50-02W4 is now on production. This brings to 15 the total number wells that Nordic has a 33 1/3% interest in at Lloydminster.

"The operator of the Lloydminster wells says this new well makes lots of sand which is a sign of a good well," Benson stated. "They will be undertaking a production flush to further enhance production and all signs point in a positive direction."

Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil, natural gas and Coal Bed Methane in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

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Southern Bay Starts Drilling in Fayette County

Southern Bay Starts Drilling in Fayette County

Friday, April 29, 2011
Eureka Energy Ltd.

Eureka announced the spudding of Blackjack Springs Unit #1H, the first well at its Pan de Azucar Eagle Ford Shale project in Fayette County, on-shore Texas USA.

As of April 27, 2011 local time, the operator, Southern Bay advised that the well had reached a depth of 2,080 ft and was drilling ahead. The well is planned to target the Eagle Ford Shale at a vertical depth of approximately 10,500 feet with a horizontal of around 6,000 feet.

The Blackjack Springs Drilling Unit is a 916 acre pooled unit to which Eureka has contributed 86 acres for its 9.4% working interest. The unit is immediately adjacent to the remaining 675 acres (EKA WI 100%) that make up the balance of the Pan de Azucar project.
The operator, Southern Bay, is a wholly owned subsidiary of GeoResources Inc.

Statoil Starts Up Taps at Peregrino Field

Statoil Starts Up Taps at Peregrino Field

Monday, April 11, 2011
Statoil

Last week Statoil started oil production at the large Peregrino field offshore Brazil. Production will gradually ramp up to a plateau of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The move makes Statoil an important long-term operator and partner in Brazil's attractive and growing oil and gas industry.

"We are proud to announce the safe and efficient start-up of Statoil's largest international operatorship to date. The project team and our partners have done an excellent job in delivering a complex project according to the plan and below costs .

With the Peregrino field in full operation Statoil will be the second-largest operator in Brazil, and it offers us an excellent opportunity for future growth in the country.

The Peregrino field is a legacy asset and will contribute significantly to both Statoil and Brazil's oil production for many years to come," said Helge Lund, president and CEO of Statoil.

The Peregrino field is located 85 kilometers offshore Brazil in the Campos basin at about 100 meters of water depth in licenses BMC-7 and BMC-47.

The first phase of the development includes two drilling and wellhead platforms and a large floating production, storage and offload unit (FPSO). A total of 37 wells are planned, all of them using advanced horizontal well technology to maximize recovery.

The field contains 300 to 600 recoverable million barrels of oil equivalents, with a significant yet-to-find potential. An exploration well is currently being drilled at Peregrino South to explore this potential. Following completion of this well, one additional well will be drilled in the area.

Statoil's country manager in Brazil, Kjetil Hove, commented that the start up of production at Peregrino is an important milestone for the company, "The development and start up is the result of very competent colleagues' tireless efforts and excellent cooperation with partners and authorities. We now look forward to continue working with our Brazilian partners to run safe and reliable operations and to unlock the resource potential of the larger Peregrino area."

"The Peregrino field showcases our project management, execution and subsurface and reservoir management skills. We are using our experience gained at the Norwegian continental shelf to share competence and experience and to create value locally in Brazil," added Hove.

The field was discovered in 1994. Statoil acquired a 50% stake in the discovery in 2005, and the remaining 50% and its operatorship in 2008. The Peregrino development plan was approved by the Brazilian authorities in 2007.

In May 2010 Statoil sold a 40% stake of the Peregrino field to the Sinochem Group. Statoil holds 60% ownership and the operatorship of the field and Sinochem the remaining 40%. The closing of the transaction is pending governmental approvals.