Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) said its estimates tight oil amounting to at least 80bbo in what has become the country’s largest discovery of oil and gas ever
NOGA also confirmed a separate gas discovery below the Khalij Al-Bahrain Basin could contain reserves of 10-20 tcf.
"Agreement has been reached with Halliburton to commence drilling on two further appraisal wells in 2018, to further evaluate reservoir potential, optimise completions, and initiate long-term production," Bahrain’s minister of oil, Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, said.
"The presence of a layer with moderate conventional reservoir properties on top of an organic-rich source rock creates a unique self-sourcing and trapping system, enhancing production and economic viability," state-owned Bapco’s chief exploration geologist in charge of the discovery, Yahya Al Ansari, said.
According to a statement released by the Bahrain News Agency, officials expect the resource to be "on production" within five years and benefit the country’s economy.
"The discovery breaks new ground for the Bahrain oil and gas industry using established technologies," DeGolyer and MacNaughton senior vice-president, Dr John Hornbrook, said.
"Based on the core analysis carried out on several wells the formation could be classified at the edge of the conventional-unconventional type of plays," a Schlumberger spokesperson said. Schlumberger performed the first test well drilling on the resource.
