23 July 2013, News Wires – Norwegian operator Statoil has failed to find commercial quantities of gas in the Cachalote-1 exploration well in Area 2 off the coast of Mozambique.
The well was drilled to a total depth of 2457 metres and intersected 38 metres of good quality gas bearing reservoir sandstones in an Upper Cretaceous objective on the outboard flank of the Ibo High.
However, well partner Tullow Oil said that the initial evaluation of the sandstones showed they were unlikely to be commercial on a standalone basis, while adding the deeper target in the well did not have any indication of hydrocarbons.
The well was then sidetracked to target older sandstone reservoirs which were expected to be developed on the inboard flank of the Ibo High.
The sidetrack was drilled to a final depth of 3191 metres and encountered thick sandstones but they were not of reservoir quality.
As a result the well was plugged and abandoned, but Tullow noted that wet gas shows in the well provided evidence for a working petroleum system.
“Discovering gas outboard on the vast Ibo High through drilling Cachalote-1 is encouraging although this is not a standalone commercial discovery,” Tullow’s exploration director, Angus McCoss, said.
“The potential for discovering oil in this region remains after we encountered wet gas shows in the deeper sidetrack. We will integrate this valuable data into our regional model to improve our chances of unlocking the oil play potential offshore Mozambique.“
The drillship Discoverer Americas will now be moved to drill the Buzio-1 wildcat well in the east of the licence, on the outboard flank of the Ibo High.
Statoil operates Area 2 and 5 in the Romuva basin, off Mozambique, with a 40% interest and is partnered by Tullow and Inpex, each holding a 25% interest, and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, with the remaining 10% equity.
– Upstream
