?The eyes of the international oil community are on Thailand. Chevron plans to invest about $10 billion through 2020 for oil and gas exploration and production in the Southeast Asian nation; London-based companies BG Group and Salamander Energy plan to expand offshore exploration; Total of France has three recent producers; and Perth-based Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd. has upgraded reserves in two fields in its onshore drilling program.

Thailand is a net-oil and net-goods importing country. Recent external financial investment, petroleum discoveries and ministerial-level discussions with OPEC countries have been offset by the effects of the international financial crisis and serious civil unrest. Uncertainty has suddenly been created in the primarily Buddhist country.


In 1999, Thailand and Vietnam reached agreement on their shared continental shelf, which made the Gulf of Thailand offshore strip available for exploration. Large discoveries, such as Unocal’s Kim Long find that flowed 52.9 million cubic feet of gas per day, and its Arthit wildcat, which produced up to 18,000 barrels of oil per day, have kept interest high.

?1 Peru
In July, the government of Peru will offer exploration blocks to boost energy investment in the country. Blocks in the northern and central jungle and southern highlands will be awarded in November 2009 after meetings with potential investors in the U.S. and U.K. According to government officials, these blocks are some of the few remaining exploration areas in the country. The contracts are part of a new effort to attract billion-dollar energy investments that could double Peru’s oil and gas production during the coming five years.

2 U.K.
Ithaca Energy Inc. of Calgary has flowed first oil from its Jacky Field on Block 12/21c in the North Sea’s U.K. sector at the rate of 8,800 bbl. of oil per day. It has also restarted production from the nearby Beatrice Bravo facility after replacing a pipeline and installing a water-injection pipeline to improve oil recovery from the northern end of the field. Jacky and Beatrice production will average around 10,000 bbl. per day of gross oil during 2009. An independent evaluation of reserves shows gross proven and probable field reserves of 5.1 million bbl. of oil. Ithaca’s partners in Jacky are Dyas U.K. Ltd. and North Sea Energy, and Ithaca and Dyas own Beatrice Field.

3 Norway
On North Sea production license 089, north of Vigdis East Field, Norwegian firm StatoilHydro is reporting a significant oil find in exploration sidetrack #34/7-34. A 920-ft. oil column was encountered in rocks with good reservoir properties, and the company believes recoverable resources are around 25 million bbl. According to IHS Inc., the sidetrack was drilled to some 8,900 ft. and production is from Upper Triassic rocks in the Lunde formation.

4 Morocco
Dana Petroleum of Aberdeen reports a big offshore Morocco discovery at Anchois in the Tanger-Larache license. The #1 Anchois, located about 24 miles offshore, was drilled to a total depth of 7,989 ft. E&P Daily reports that 131 net ft. of pay was encountered in two intervals of high-quality, gas-bearing sands. The combined gas column was approximately 295 ft., and preliminary reserve estimates are about 100 billion cu. ft. Dana, the operator, Repsol, Gas Natural, and ONHYM are suspending activity to analyze the data.

5 Algeria
In Algeria’s Ahnet Basin, Madrid-based Repsol has made a gas discovery. Gas flowed from #1 TGFO after it was drilled to 7,005 ft. in the M’Sari Akabli Block. Initial production tests flowed 12.8 million cu. ft. per day from the Emsian Layer. Repsol operates the M’Sari Akabli Block with a 33.75% stake, while Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach has 25%, Germany’s RWE Dea has 22.5%, and Italy’s Edison, 18.75%.

6 Bulgaria
According to Bulgaria’s Economy and Energy Ministry, good potential to increase the country’s gas production exists in Deventsi Field, in the A-Lovech Block and operated by Denver-based Direct Petroleum. The 13,500-ft.-deep reservoir holds more than 220 billion cu. ft. of gas. The ministry expects production to begin in 2010, and rates of 1.75 billion cu. ft. per year to be achieved.

7 Egypt
Milan-based Edison SpA announced a discovery at Abu Qir Field in Egypt. The #2 NAQ Pil, drilled to 3,750 meters, will add 65.31 million cu. ft. of gas and 850 bbl. of oil daily to the field’s production. The Abu Qir concession, located offshore near Alexandria, produces about 52.95 billion cu. ft. of gas and 1.5 million bbl. of oil per year. The company plans to bring the new producer online in 2010.

8 Israel
Operator Noble Energy of Houston reported success at another site offshore Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The #1 Dalit was drilled to 12,008 ft. and formation logs showed more than 110 ft. of net pay. Testing is in progress at the well, drilled in 4,500 ft. of water some 30 miles off the coast. The test is Noble’s second subsalt Lower Miocene discovery in the underexplored Levantine Basin. In early 2009, it made a 5-trillion-cu.-ft. gas discovery at the #1 Tamar. Partners in the Dalit venture with Noble (36% working interest) include Isramco Negev, with 28.75%; Avner Oil Exploration, with 15.625%; Delek Drilling, with 15.625%; and Dor Gas Exploration, 4%.

9 Oman
Preliminary flow rates of 754 bbl. of oil per day with a low gas-to-oil ratio are being reported from an onshore Oman horizontal discovery, #3 South Farha, on Block 3. Operator CC Energy Development (Oman) SAL drilled the well to 2,723 meters, with a true vertical depth of 1,857 meters. Tethys Oil, with headquarters in Stockholm, is a 50% partner in the project.

10 Iraq
Addax Petroleum Corp. of Calgary has announced huge test results for Cretaceous appraisal and development well #10 TT in northern Iraq’s Taq Taq Field. An aggregate rate of 44,240 bbl. of oil per day was tested from Lower Shiranish, Upper Kometan and Qamchuqa intervals. Two additional intervals in the Shiranish and Kometan were completed and tested independently. A 136-meter completion in the upper Shiranish section flowed at the rate of 17,700 bbl. of oil per day, and an 85-meter completion in the lower section was gauged at 13,780 bbl. A 67-meter completion in the upper Kometan section flowed 19,380 bbl. daily and a 49-meter completion in the lower section flowed at a rate of 14,800 bbl. In the Qamchuqa interval, a 136-meter completion flowed 11,080 bbl. per day. All reported flow rates were restricted by a 2-in. choke.?

11 India
According to IHS Inc., Oil and Natural Gas Corp. of India’s offshore well, #15 SB (SBH), flowed 205 bbl. of 49-degree API crude and 4.6 million cu. ft. of gas per day. Production was tested through a 6-mm choke. The offshore Mumbai well was drilled in the South Bassien ML Field to 2,280 meters and produces from the Eocene Panna formation at 2,148-54 meters.

12 China
According to E&P Daily, China National Offshore Oil Corp. Ltd. has made two oil and gas discoveries in Bohai Bay. The #2-1 Bozhong is in 85 ft. of water in the western part of the Bozhong Sag, about 3.5 miles southeast of BZ 3-2 Field. The 12,829-ft. well penetrated 167 ft. of oil pay and tested at an average rate of 1,270 bbl. of oil and 393 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The #29-2 Qinhuangdao is in the southeast of the Qinnan Sag on the QHD 29-2 structure. It reached a total depth of 13,094 ft. and encountered 114 ft. of oil and 157 ft. of gas pay. A drillstem test gauged an average rate of 3,930 bbl. of oil and 15.2 million cu. ft. of gas per day.

13 New Zealand
The New Zealand Energy and Resources Minister confirmed that survey work has started to assess potential of the Reinga Basin, approximately 300 kilometers north of North Island. A survey vessel will collect 1,500 kilometers of data and an additional 4,000 kilometers of nonexclusive data. The geology is suspected to be similar to that of the Taranaki Basin.