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Unocal records two new deepwater discoveries in Indonesia Company has made five discoveries since beginning exploration program in 1998 Petroleum News Alaska
Unocal Corp. said Nov. 9 that oil and gas has been discovered in the Bangka and Aton prospects in the Rapak production sharing contract area, further confirming that the company’s Kutei Basin deepwater properties offshore Indonesia have significant hydrocarbon resource potential.
The Bangka discovery is nine miles north of the West Seno field. The Bangka No. 2 well was drilled to a depth of 9,752 feet in 3,191 feet of water and encountered 367 net feet of liquid-rich gas pay in the Upper Miocene. The Bangka No. 2 pay is confined to two zones of high-quality reservoir rock with hydrocarbon columns calculated to be greater than 500 feet. The follow-up Bangka No. 4 well was drilled downstructure in 3,234 feet of water to a depth of 11,656 feet and encountered significant thickness reservoir sands, including 38 feet of net oil and gas pay. The Bangka No. 5 well, 3.5 miles northwest of the Bangka No. 2 , is currently being drilled.
The Aton discovery is five miles southeast of the Bangka No. 2 well. The Aton No. 3 well was drilled to a depth of 8,465 feet in 3,826 feet of water and encountered 255 feet of high quality reservoir and 80 feet of oil and gas pay. A follow-up well, the Aton No. 1, was drilled to a depth of 12,465 feet in 3,644 feet of water and encountered significant reservoir sands and 59 feet of net oil and gas pay in two zones.
“The Bangka and Aton discoveries are the result of the integration of the data from earlier wells and attest to the evolving understanding of the deepwater exploration play,” said Brian W. G. Marcotte, president and general manager of Unocal Indonesia Co. “We think we have found an important key for exploring in the Upper Miocene, and we are much more confident in our ability to predict the occurrence of significant sand accumulation in the area.” Five discoveries since 1998 Unocal has now made five deepwater Upper-Miocene oil and gas discoveries offshore Indonesia since beginning its exploration program in 1998. Two of the discoveries, Merah Besar and West Seno, have received approval from Pertamina for plans of development.
The commercial potential of the other three discoveries, Janaka North, Bangka and Aton, is under evaluation, with further drilling planned for all three discoveries.
Unocal has drilled 12 deepwater wells in the Kutei Basin since June.
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