Hurricane Energy has confirmed a "very significant fractured basement discovery," potentially containing more than 250 MMbbl recoverable, in its Lincoln field appraisal well offshore west of Shetland, UK, the firm says.
The well has exceeded expectations and is being plugged and abandoned as the UK-based independent explorer looks to move to its next prospect, the Halifax well. Meanwhile, Hurricane is looking to sanction its early production system plan for its Lancaster field in 1H 2017.
Fractured basement-focused Hurricane's fields are named after bomber planes - Lancaster, Lincoln, Halifax, etc. Announcing initial results from the 205/26b-A Lincoln well, Hurricane says hydrocarbons were encountered at the depth of the planned total depth of the Lincoln well resulting in the operational decision to deepen the well.
Gas chromatography and logging while drilling data indicated a "very significant hydrocarbon column" of at least 660m true vertical depth, comparable to that found at Lancaster. The oil down to (ODT) was observed at about 520m true vertical depth (TVD) below structural closure, or 168m TVD below the ODT in the Arco 205/21-1 well, drilled on Lincoln’s flank in 1995.
The Lincoln well was planned to exclude testing, and the well is now being plugged and abandoned ahead of the Transocean Spitsbergen semisubmersible drilling rig being demobilized. Hurricane hopes to move the rig on to the Halifax well, weather permitting.
Dr Robert Trice, CEO of Hurricane, said: “Our initial assessment of the drilling results will be subject to refinement by analysis of wireline and sidewall core data, however, current analysis indicates that our pre-drill resource assessments - which were constrained by the oil down to in the Arco Well - of approximately 250 MMbbl of recoverable oil for the Lincoln prospect may be conservative.
"I look forward to Hurricane’s imminent operations on the hugely important Halifax well and to simultaneously progressing towards the sanction of the Lancaster Early Production System in H1 2017.”
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Hurricane agrees FPSO for Lancaster, plans to drill Halifax
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