Prize wants rig for West Bechraji 12-well programme
Hindustan Petroleum affiliate Prize Petroleum will soon begin looking for a light onland rig to drill at the West Bechraji field in Gujarat.
Expect a tender sometime in late July or early August. West Bechraji is one of three onland marginal fields awarded by ONGC to Prize (50% and operator) and Aban Loyd (50%) on a service contract in April 2004; the other two are Khambel and Hirapur.
Prize has committed 12 wells at West Bechraji but is presently drilling its single well committed at Khambel, which was spud in the first week of June and is expected to reach the Olpad formation at 2000 metres depth this month. On completion of the Hirapur well Prize will turn its attention to West Bechraji.
Prize is hoping that Gujarat authorities will keep their promise to lay approach roads to either end of a bridge across an irrigation canal that cuts off the approach to the West Bechraji well site that lies on the other side. Prize will also have to lay a 300-metre long road to the location, we hear.
The earlier road is no use because the canal has intervened. Prize needs a light rig for West Bechraji because the reservoir is thin and lies at a depth of just 800 metres below the surface.
Multilateral and horizontal drilling might be required because the reservoir is thin. Another issue is heavy West Bechraji crude which measures 14-API.
The paraffin content is also high, we hear. Steam injection will have to be used to recover the oil.
ONGC had earlier drilled two wells on this field. One is useless but the other could be worked over.
At Hirapur, Prize is producing about 50 b/d light oil (35-API) and has already drilled three of the 12 wells committed at the field. The third well was completed in late May.
All the three wells were drilled to about 1500 metres depth (Kalol formation) using a Dewanchand Ramsaran rig. After the third well the rig moved to Khambel.
Prize is now testing the three wells. Three or four zones are being tested in each well.
The logs were good. The tests should be over by July.