Apache has announced that it has made seven oil and gas discoveries across Egypt’s Western Desert
The first discovery — Riviera SW-1X — test-flowed 5,800 barrels of oil and 79,287 cubic metres of gas per day from a Lower Bahariya sand with 7.3 metres of net pay.
Another find — the Narmer-1X — is a stratigraphic trap that is separated from the Neilos oil field located 8km to the east.
Thomas Maher, vice president of Apache’s Egypt region, said, “These seven discoveries are located in four different geologic basins and six different concessions.
“The Faghur Basin yielded four of the discoveries with one each in the Shushan, Matruh and Abu Gharadig Basins. All seven discoveries have been tested and Riviera SW-1X is already producing. Our exploration and development programme in Egypt continues, with an average of 27 drilling rigs operating during the second quarter.”
The Riviera SW-1X well, located in the WD 30 Development Lease, is 2km south of the Riviera field, which also produces from the Upper Bahariya and Abu Roash formations.
The Narmer-1X and the Neilos field are part of an emerging Paleozoic play. Located in the Faghur Basin and the Khalda Offset Concession, Narmer-1X well encountered 25 metres of net pay in Paleozoic-aged sandstone and test-flowed approximately 1,200 barrels of oil and 11,326 cubic metres of gas per day with a trace of water.
The Jade N-2X well, located 2.4km to the northeast of the Jade field in the western Matruh Basin within the Matruh Development Lease, encountered 10 metres of net pay in the Cretaceous-aged Alam El Buieb 3G sandstone. The zone was perforated and tested over a 22-metre interval, producing up to 146 barrels of condensate and 3.1mn cubic metres of gas per day.
The WKAL-T-1X well, located 5.6km due south of the nearest production in the Tell field within the West Kalabsha Concession in the Faghur Basin, logged a total of 9.7 metres of net pay in the Safa formation. The well was tested in one of three zones of Upper Safa sandstone that flowed 2,900 barrels of oil and 79,287 cubic metres of gas per day.
The WKAL-N-3X appraisal well, also in the West Kalabsha Concession, successfully extended the WKAL-N field to the west. The well flowed on test at a rate of approximately 3,500 barrels of oil and 90,613 cubic metres of gas per day from the Safa Formation.
Development lease applications have been submitted to the Egyptian General Petroleum Company (EGPC) for both of these producers.
The SIWA-R-1X well, located in the Siwa Concession in the Faghur Basin, tested 1,900 barrels of oil per day from the Safa sandstone. The well encountered 22 metres of net pay with the lowest known oil corresponding to the mapped structural closure.
The Buchis W-2X well was drilled in the Buchis Development Lease on the north-eastern margin of the Faghur Basin. The well tested a three-way closure adjacent and up-thrown to the Pepi oilfield with multiple Cretaceous, Jurassic and Paleozoic objectives. It encountered 13.4km of stacked pay in the Cretaceous-aged Alam El Buieb formation and additional pay in the Paleozoic-aged Zeitoun and Basur formations.
The well tested approximately 1,700 barrels of oil per day from the AEB-3D sandstone.
The Falak NW-1X well, drilled in the Khalda Development Lease on the northern flanks of the Shushan Basin, logged 34.7 metres of stacked net pay in the Safa sandstone. Apache tested 1,200 barrels of oil and 1.7mn cubic metres of gas per day from multiple Safa sands. Falak NW-1X is 4.8km south of the Shams field.
Drilling and completion costs for all the wells were estimated to be US$30.1mn.
Apache has a 100 per cent contractor interest in the all the discoveries and owns, in total, 9.7mn gross acres in the North African country.
It also operates and has a 50 per cent contractor interest in the Siwa Concession with the state-owned Tharwa Petroleum Company holding the remaining 50 per cent contractor interest of SIWA-R-1X.
