Prize 'white' tiger
Prize Petroleum might be forced to relinquish 1100-sq km of a 13,277-sq km exploration block in Madhya Pradesh that sits in a protected tiger reserve.
But this isn’t stopping Prize (10%) planning a three-well drilling programme outside the Bandhavgarh National Park beginning December this year at SR-ONN-2004/1, which it shares with Jai Prakash Associates (90%). Acutely aware of the problems faced by Eni in Rajasthan, Prize tells us it will assiduously avoid the protected area, famous for sightings of the near-extinct ‘white’ tiger.
John Energy, Shiv Vani and Quippo are among drillers expected to bid by the end-July deadline for the rig, which Prize wants mobilised by December. By then, Prize hopes to finalise the exact drilling location for three wells, based on 2000-lkm 2D and 300-sq km 3D shot by Poland’s Geofizyka Torun, which CGG Veritas will have interpreted by September.
Prize wants to drill each well to 3200 metres TD, targeting ‘Gondwana’ age ‘Barakar’ and ‘Raniganj’ formations.