Niko begins three-well appraisal at Hazira
Canadian explorer Niko Resources (33%) this week begins a three well appraisal programme at the Hazira gasfield in a campaign to reverse falling production at the ageing field, which it shares with GSPC (67%).
PETROWATCH learns a 1500-hp rig from John Energy is scheduled to spud the first appraisal well today (Thursday, February 25) in a campaign expected to last up to four months. Based on the results of a freshly carried out 27-sq km 3D seismic survey, the first of the three wells will be drilled to a depth of1600 metres while the second will be to 1650 metres and the third will be drilled to a depth of 3300 metres.
“Niko is investigating the structure edge to see if there’s any trapped gas,†reports a source. “In particular Niko is looking for trapped gas off the flank of the main structure.
These are analogous sands to the main fields but a different stratigraphic play.†Will Niko convert these three wells into producers or drill additional producers later “It’s too early to say,†adds our source.
Equally difficult to predict is when the campaign will make a material difference to gas production from the field, which has seen a marked decline from highs of 4.7m cm/d in 2005 to 1.5m cm/d in 2008 and an all-time low of 1m cm/d last year. Currently the Hazira gasfield is producing just 1.2m cm/d.
An indication of the importance given to the Hazira gasfield was evident with a day-long site visit by GSPC managing director Tapan Ray on January 30. “This was his first field visit as MD,†we hear.
“He talked to the Niko engineers in charge of drilling and asked questions about how drilling operations would be taken forward.†Ray, we hear, took great interest in the physical infrastructure on the field and visited the Land Based Drilling Platform, which houses 17 of the 33 wells at Hazira located 1.2-km from the coastline and the 4m cm/d gas receiving terminal.