Apache Tests Tut-51 Well In Khalda Concession, Reports New Deepwater Gas Find

VOL. XLV

No 27

8-July-2002

EGYPT

Apache Tests Tut-51 Well In Khalda Concession, Reports New Deepwater Gas Find

Apache Corporation announced on 27 June the successful completion of its Tut-51 well in the company’s 2.3mn acre Khalda Concession in Egypt’s Western Desert, which tested at 3,200 b/d of oil and 7.7mn cfd of gas. The well tested 54ft of 162ft total Khatatba pay. The Khatatba interval also includes 102ft in the 2B sands, the thickest interval in that section yet encountered on the concession. Apache operates Khalda with a 100% contractor interest. The well was tested on a 5/8in choke with 1,870psi of flowing wellhead pressure. It is producing from three intervals between 11,480ft and 11,993ft. Approximately 108ft of Khatatba pay remain behind pipe, as well as 36ft of Bahariya pay at approximately 6,100ft. Since becoming operator of the Khalda Concession early last year, Apache has increased oil production by 29% to 55,000 b/d (MEES, 29 January 2001). In May, Apache announced the 5,103 b/d Selkit-1X find in the same concession (MEES, 20 May).

Meanwhile, Apache announced on 2 July its second deepwater discovery on its West Mediterranean Concession offshore Egypt. The al-Bahig-1X well, located 37 miles offshore in 3,510ft of water 10 miles southwest of Apache’s recent Abu Sir Pliocene discovery, encountered a 247ft gas column. Wireline logs and pressure data indicate reservoir quality as good as or better than that encountered in the Abu Sir well, the company said. Apache said it saw no need to test the discovery at this time. “The Pliocene sand in our al-Bahig discovery came in exactly as predicted based on pre-drill seismic interpretation,” said Apache President and CEO G Steven Farris. “We have at least seven prospects and leads in deepwater West Med and plan to drill three more of them by year-end. We are extending Egypt’s prolific Nile Delta play westward in pursuit of our goal of proving up a minimum of 3 TCF of gas reserves on the deepwater block,” he added. Apache is the operator, with a 55% contractor interest in the deepwater portion of the concession. RWE-DEA has a 28.33% contractor interest and BP holds the remaining 16.67%. In May, the company reported a major gas find in its West Mediterranean concession with its Abu Sir well (MEES, 27 May).