Halifax Find for Hurricane
Monday 27 March 2017
Hurricane Energy has made an oil discovery with a wildcat at the Halifax prospect West of Shetland off the UK that has confirmed it forms part of a single large hydrocarbon deposit connected with its earlier Lancaster find.
The 205/23-3A probe drilled by semi-submersible Transocean Spitsbergen uncovered an “extensive” oil column of at least 1156 metres in a fractured basement reservoir, significantly below structural closure, the London-listed explorer said in a statement.
Deeper oil was found down to a total vertical depth of 1846 metres, compared with 1678 for Lancaster, that is probably caused by a tilted oil-water contact, according to the company.
The Halifax well has now been suspended pending future operations to deepen and/or carry out further testing, contingent on the results of well data analysis.
The Transocean-owned rig has been released from its charter with Hurricane following a successful 265-day drilling campaign with Lancaster in which it has made significant discoveries at both the Lincoln and Halifax prospects, while also sinking a development sidetrack and appraisal at Lancaster.
Chief executive Robert Trice said “we believe the Greater Lancaster Area is a single hydrocarbon accumulation, making it the largest undeveloped discovery on the UK continental shelf”.
He said significant resource upgrades are expected for both the Greater Lancaster and Greater Warwick areas - the latter including the presently undrilled Warwick prospect - with independent assessments to be issued later this year.
A so-called competent person’s report is also due to be issued imminently for Lancaster that is set to boost the existing resource estimate of 300 million barrels.
Trice said a final investment decision for an early production system to be implemented at Lancaster remains on track for the first half of this year, having “materially increased and derisked resource volumes” for the find.