MMcfed and a 161% increase over first-quarter 2014 production of 162.5 MMcfed. Gulfport’s first-quarter 2015 production
mix was 68% natural gas and 32% oil and natural gas liquids.
Gulfport also recently entered into additional firm transportation agreements with Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) and
Texas Gas Transmission (TGT).
The company’s agreement with REX provides transportation for an additional 50,000 MMbtu/day of gas beginning in
mid-2016 for 15 years. Gulfport’s agreement with TGT provides
transportation for an incremental 54,000 MMbtu/day of gas beginning in April 2017 for 15 years.
Gulfport says it has secured total firm commitments covering 900,000 MMbtu/day of gas production by yearend 2016.
Seele named chief executive of OMV
Rainer Seele has been named chairman of the executive board
and chief executive officer of OMV AG, effective July 1. He has
been head of Wintershall Holding GMBH. Seele will succeed
Gerhard Roiss, who will resign effective June 30.
Walker named senior vice-president at Lundin
Lundin Petroleum AB has appointed Nick Walker as senior
vice-president, development and operations. Walker will oversee all worldwide development projects and serve as a member
of the company’s investment committee. He joins Lundin from
Africa Oil Corp., where he was chief operating officer since
2012. During 2009-11 he served as executive vice-president for
international operations at Talisman Energy Inc.
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT QUICK TAKES
Comment period extended for Arctic drilling rules
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of
Safety and Environmental Enforcement extended the comment
period for proposed oil and gas drilling regulations on the US
Arctic Outer Continental Shelf by 30 days.
Comments on the proposal, which the two US Department
of the Interior agencies jointly announced in February (OGJ
Online, Feb. 20, 2015), now will be accepted through May 27.
The original 60-day comment period was scheduled to end on
Apr. 27.
Repsol makes third gas discovery in Illizi basin
Repsol SA encountered gas at a depth of 1,307 m in the Tan
Emellel Sud-Ouest- 2 (TESO- 2) exploration well of the Sud-Est
Illizi block in southeast Algeria, yielding a flow rate of 175,000
cu m/day and 90 b/d of condensate on a 32⁄64-in. choke.
Four more wells are planned to appraise previous discoveries within the block. In 2012 the Tihalatine South-1 well—the
first of a five-well exploratory program—tested at a rate of 3. 7
MMcfd at 1,073 m (OGJ Online, Nov. 9, 2012).
Repsol operates the block with 52.5% interest. Partners
are Enel SPA 27.5% and GDF-Suez 20%. lgeria’s state-owned
Sonatrach will hold 51% interest in the development and pro-
duction phases, with the existing members maintaining their
existing proportions in the remaining 49%.
Repsol’s activities in Igeria, where the company produces
8,000 boe/d, comprise the Tin Fouye Tabankort production
project, Reggane Nord development project, and Sud-Est Illizi
and Boughezoul exploration projects. Sud-Est Illizi was awarded in December 2009 and Boughezoul in October 2014.
ConocoPhillips drills dry holes off Angola, in GOM
ConocoPhillips reported that its Omosi-1 deepwater exploration well, drilled on Block 37 offshore Angola in the Kwanza
basin, reached a total depth of 20,666 ft and found a 525-ft gas
column in the primary objective reservoir. The well has been
plugged; no further activity is planned.
Separately the Harrier prospect, which was drilled on Mississippi Canyon Block 118 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico to
a total depth of 19,400 ft, found no commercial hydrocarbons
and will be plugged.
Stone Energy Offshore LLC was a nonoperating co-owner in
the Harrier prospect.
An aftertax charge relating to the two wells of $142 million
net to ConocoPhillips will be recorded to dry hole expense in
this year’s first quarter, the company said.
The total before-tax exploration expense for the quarter is
estimated to be $482 million, which includes dry hole, leasehold impairment, general and administrative, and geological
and geophysical costs.
Statoil lets CO2 service contract for Bakken
Statoil has let a major carbon dioxide supply and service agreement to Ferus LP of Denver to supply liquid CO2 to be used in
a test well to evaluate potential production uplift and partially
replace water in a large multistage hydraulic fracturing operation in a horizontal oil well.
In addition to supplying the CO2, Ferus will provide transportation, logistics, storage, and onsite supervision. The service
agreement also includes the deployment of a membrane technology that separates the CO2 from the produced gas to reduce
flaring.
Statoil and other oil companies are working to reduce flaring to comply with a series of targets established by North Dakota. Oil firms also can save money by capturing gas and using
it to economically fuel their own operations instead of flaring it.
This CO2 stimulation test is one of several projects under
Powering Collaboration—a collaboration on joint technology
Statoil and GE announced in January.
In collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, Ferus and Statoil have demonstrated through numerous technical
studies on North American reservoirs the potential for CO2 to
enhance well productivity while reducing fresh water usage.
Petrobras tallies discoveries in Espirito Santo
Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has made separate oil and gas
discoveries in the Espirito Santo and Amazon basins.
