Muscat - Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production LLC (OOCEP), the wholly owned upstream oil and gas subsidiary of Oman Oil Company (OOC), says it is preparing to spud a pilot well in Block 65 in north Oman as part of a 'Pilot and Appraisal Study Agreement' signed with the Ministry of Oil & Gas last year. Covering an area of around 1,230 sq km, Block 65 is surrounded by major oil and gas fields that produce from shallow cretaceous formations, namely the Natih and Shuaiba formations, with deeper opportunities in Mafraq, Khuff, Gharif, Barik and Miqrat formations. Petroleum elements in the acreage are proven for multiple play concepts.
According to OOCEP, the 'Pilot and Appraisal Study Agreement' signed with the government on May 31, 2015 calls for the drilling of one well to assess the prospectivity of unconventional resources in the Block. "Drilling site civil work has been completed and the rig has been mobilised to site. The spud of the pilot well is anticipated to take place during mid-March 2016," OOCEP said in a report of the company's operational performance during 2015. The study adds to OOCEP's growing portfolio of upstream activities in Oman's oil and gas sector. Its flagship investment targeting the tight-gas Abu Butabul field in Block 60 in central Oman has been one of its crowning achievements. A major Gas Processing Plant commissioned in December 2014 began processing and exporting gas and condensate last year.
"Progressing towards achieving the plateau production of 70 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd), OOCEP successfully completed commissioning of 21 new wells, reaching a total number of 31 online wells in 2015," the company said. Block 42, a 22,590 sq km concession is also operated by OOCEP in the eastern part of the country, represents a frontier exploration domain, according to the company. Meanwhile, final commissioning of OOCEP's Musandam Gas Plant project (MGP) in Musandam Governorate is ongoing with full operations due to commence this year, the company said. The plant, which is designed to process oil and sour gas, has been constructed at Tibat, not far from Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE.
An integrated gas pipeline has been supplying sweet gas from the Ras Al Khaimah Gas Plant to the MGP since June 2015. Offshore production capacity was also commissioned in July with well fluids from Block 8. OOCEP's activities also include the management of investments in non-operated upstream assets in the Sultanate and abroad.
© Oman Daily Observer 2016
