Continental Focus, International Reach

Bowleven Updates Etinde

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Bowleven and its partner New Age Cameroon Offshore Petroleum (operator) have completed the drilling of the IE-4 appraisal well on Cameroon’s Etinde Block. The object of the well was to appraise two Intra-Isongo aged 410 sand packages in two fault bounded structures. The primary target, “Drillbit”, is structurally higher than the lower, “Crowbar” sand package, which partially sits below and to the west of Drillbit.

The crowbar 410 sand package is tagged very close to the separating boundary fault between the two structures.Initial wireline logging and down hole fluid sampling has been completed and an initial interpretation of the data has been completed. The preliminary results show that the Drillbit sand body is water saturated at the IE-4 location. While there are indications that hydrocarbons may have been present in the Drillbit sand package at one time, the fault block either never completely sealed or was opened at a subsequent time.

In the Crowbar 410 sand package, results indicate that the tagged location shows low permeability, probably due to being adversely affected by fluid flow around the fault. Fluid sampling indicates that the upper part of the 410 sand package at the IE-4 location is volatile light oil or condensate bearing with gas. This appears to be sitting above water saturated lower 410 sands. The data suggests that the Crowbar 410 sand package is partially hydrocarbon charged.

In addition, an unprognosed sequence of thinly bedded high porosity sand horizons of about 30 meters gross thickness was drilled some 50 meters above the Drillbit 410 sand package. Fluid sampling has shown the sands to be light oil saturated.

According to Bowleven the partners’ IE-3 well showed a similar looking oil bearing sequence, which has been tentatively correlated with the IE-4 sequence, although these thin sandstone layers are not well imaged in the seismic data. Tentatively, based on the IE-4 location and the potential IE-3 correlation alongside the seismic data analysis, this structure trap is around 2 km squared in volume, with an additional untested structural high to the North West.

The lower 12 meters of this sequence was tested at a flow rate of 17.1 Mmscf/d of gas and 8,780 bpd of oil on a 56/64” inch choke.

Additional evaluation is being undertaken on the IE field ahead of a broader interpretation being detailed. This discovery bodes well for the potential of the Etinde field and further test data and volumetric evaluation will be ongoing. The test results have increased the overall likelihood of a commercial development of the IE field area.

Bowleven also reported on IM-6 well; an assessment of the reservoir pressure data collected at the IM-6 location with that at IM-5 has allowed a determination of the expected wet gas/water contact within the Intra-Isongo aged 410 sand packages with the “Awl” structure first drilled at the IM-5 location. The contact is calculated to be at 3,050 meter depth on the basis that the reservoir fluids between the IM-5 and IM-6 locations are connected. Based on this data, the volume of the Awl reservoir increases from c5.8 km to c8.9 km.  The IM-6 well, which successfully appraised the Intra Isongo section of the field, established a lower gas water contact and adding an additional 150-250 bcf of wet gas resources on a P50 confidence basis. Further analysis will need to be completed before any resource increment can be booked in accordance with the appropriate internal standard.

This is very much a preliminary analysis and is subject to further analysis and interpretation of the data collected during the IM-6 drilling and logging. Post-well studies are expected to be completed by the end of Q1 2019. Subsequently, the JV partners have agreed to undertake further geological and technical analysis including remapping the identified leads and prospective traps within the Etinde licence area. This work will be ongoing through 2019 alongside the additional data obtained from the IE-4 well.

Bowleven and its JV partners are currently re-assessing development options for the Etinde field.


« GO BACK