Total Hits Gas Pay in Caspian

- Total Hits Gas Pay in Caspian

Friday, September 09, 2011
Total S.A.

Total on Friday announced a major gas discovery in the Caspian Sea in the Absheron block offshore Azerbaijan.

The Absheron X-2 well has encountered more than 500 feet of cumulated net gas pays within high quality sands on the northern flank of a major 270 square kilometers structure. Reservoirs are expected to extend over the entire northern part of the structure.

The well's first results confirm a potential of several trillion cubic feet of gas and associated condensates.

"This discovery could be very significant in terms of resources," said Total's Senior Vice President Exploration, Marc Blaizot. "It is the result of Total's bolder exploration strategy aimed at exploring high risk/high reward prospects both in prolific and frontier basins particularly in high pressure, deeply buried reservoirs. Our geoscientists and drillers have all the skills to make other discoveries in similar environments like the United Kingdom, Brunei, Malaysia or Egypt where new permits have been recently awarded to Total."

The well is currently at a depth of approximately 6,550 meters. Drilling will continue to explore further deeper objectives that look attractive. The well will then be tested to better confirm the reservoir potential.

The Absheron discovery is located in 500 meters of water, 100 kilometers south east of Baku, some 25 kilometers north east of the Shah Deniz gas and condensate field.

Total subsidiary, Total EP Absheron is the operator of the Absheron license with a 40% equity. The partners are SOCAR (40%) and GDF SUEZ (20%).

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Tullow Reports French Guiana Discovery

- Tullow Reports French Guiana Discovery

Friday, September 09, 2011
Tullow Oil plc

Tullow Oil plc announced Friday that the Zaedyus exploration well (GM-ES-1), offshore French Guiana, has made an oil discovery having encountered 72 meters of net oil pay in two turbidite fans. Results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluids show that the well has encountered good quality reservoir sands on prognosis.

The objective of the Zaedyus well was to test whether the Jubilee-play, successfully established in West Africa, was mirrored on the other side of the Atlantic. This discovery therefore opens a new hydrocarbon basin within which several neighboring prospects have been mapped. This result also reduces the exploration risk associated with Tullow's prospect inventory offshore French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana. An appraisal program and extensive follow-up exploration activities will now be considered.

The Zaedyus well is being drilled in the Guyane Maritime license using the ENSCO 8503 deepwater semi submersible. The well was drilled in water depths of 2,048 meters and has been drilled to a depth of 5,711 meters. Drilling operations will now continue and the well will be deepened to over 6,000 meters to calibrate the deeper geology. The well will then likely be sidetracked to enable cores to be obtained over the reservoir sections.

Tullow (27.5%) operates the Guyane Maritime license and is partnered by Shell (45%), Total (25%) and Northpet (2.5%), a company owned 50% by Northern Petroleum plc and 50% by Wessex Exploration plc.

Angus McCoss, Tullow's Exploration Director, commented Friday:

"The discovery at Zaedyus has proved the extension of the Jubilee-play across the Atlantic and made an important new discovery in French Guiana. Tullow has built a commanding and unique acreage position in South America and this result marks the start of a significant and potentially transformational long-term exploration and appraisal campaign in the region."

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PA Resources Kicks Off Lille John Drilling

- PA Resources Kicks Off Lille John Drilling

Friday, September 09, 2011
PA Resources

The oil and gas group PA Resources continues its drilling campaign in Licence 12/06 in the Danish North Sea with the commencement of drilling of an exploration well at the Lille John prospect.

In July an exploration well was drilled on the Broder Tuck prospect on the Danish License 12/06 and gas and condensate was discovered. In August, a side track encountered additional hydrocarbons. The well has now been plugged and abandoned.

The drilling rig ENSCO 70 has mobilized to the Lille John prospect, approximately 8 kilometres south of Broder Tuck, and the drilling of the second exploration well in this drilling programme has now commenced.

The well has targets at three levels; Miocene, Chalk and Middle Jurassic. Lille John is hoped to contain both oil and gas.

The following companies participate in Licence 12/06: PA Resources UK Limited (64%), Nordsøfonden (Danish North Sea Fund) (20%), Danoil Exploration A/S (8%) and Spyker Energy APS (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spyker Energy Plc) (8%).

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African Petroleum Finds Drilling Success Off Liberia

- African Petroleum Finds Drilling Success Off Liberia

Friday, September 09, 2011
African Petroleum

African Petroleum has completed drilling the first well (Apalis-1) in deep water offshore Liberia in Block LB-09.

The results of Apalis-1 confirm Blocks LB-08 and LB-09 (100% owned by African Petroleum) are located in a prospective oil basin, which is a major step forward. The geological and geophysical data have confirmed the critical components of a working hydrocarbon system are present and functioning. The Company is now accelerating a multi well drilling program on the 25+ exploration prospects identified on Blocks LB-08 & LB-09 offshore Liberia and are planning to drill the next well during 4th quarter 2011 and 1st quarter 2012.

Apalis-1 was drilled to a depth of 3665 meters and encountered oil shows in several geological units including the shallower (Tertiary) and deeper (Cretaceous) and petrophysical analysis indicates the presence of hydrocarbons. The well also confirmed the presence of organic oil prone source rocks confirming that Blocks LB-08 & LB-09 are in an attractive oil basin.

No commercial quality reservoir with hydrocarbons was encountered and consequently no well production test was undertaken.

The well was drilled without any technical problems and the costs have been materially under budget.

Having confirmed a working hydrocarbon system with the first well the forward exploration programme will focus on the deeper basinal zone where improved reservoir quality is anticipated in the well-developed Cretaceous fan system.

Karl Thompson, CEO, comments that “This is the first the first ever frontier well in the deep water in Liberia and has confirmed we are exploring in a highly prospective oil basin which was its key objective and we are committed to continuing exploration in the area”.

SIERRA LEONE

The 3D seismic survey underway in Block SL-03 Sierra Leone (100% owned by African Petroleum) to the west of the Anadarko Venus and Mercury discoveries is progressing well and is now 65% complete. The 3D survey is the start of the initial exploration phase in exploring for similar Upper Cretaceous targets as the nearby Mercury and Venus discoveries.

GAMBIA

The interpretation of the 3D seismic survey in The Gambia (60% owned by African Petroleum) is progressing very well and an extensive system of Upper Cretaceous fan systems has clearly been identified.

African Petroleum is one of the largest net exploration holders in the West African Upper Cretaceous Exploration fairway and is making continued progress in acquiring new exploration licences.

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