18 April 2013, Algiers – Algeria’s state-controlled Sonatrach says oil has been uncovered in three latest wells on the country’s Berkine basin concession.
According to Sonatrach, the well trio, the last in a nine-well programme required under its licence, had all yielded results, the Algerian Press Service said.
Sonatrach operates the concession on a 51% stake with PTT Exploration & Production and China National Offshore Oil Corporation on 24.5% each.
The explorer said it had seen seven “very satisfactory” discoveries of oil and associated gas among the nine probes, with another well yielding positive logs and due to be tested.
Tests on the latest three wells – known as Sahane Bagas, SAB, 1, Rhourde Abadje, RDA, 1 and Rhourd Rhorfat, RHF, 1 – showed flow rates of 17.64 cubic metre per hour, 3.2 cubic metre per hour and 3.16 cubic metre per hour, Sonatrach said.
The SAB 1 probe flowed from lower Triassic and Ordovician reservoirs, while the RDA 1 flowed from the lower Triassic and the RHF 1 from the Ordovician.
The Algerian explorer said it had agreed with its partners “to undertake further work on the discoveries with a view to developing them”.
