|
Mixed winter for Far North EnCana, Chevron Canada plan only Mackenzie Delta wells; others opt out Gary Park Petroleum News Calgary correspondent
Partnerships led by EnCana and Chevron Canada Resources are so far the only explorers poised to drill on the Mackenzie Delta this winter, although the Central Mackenzie Valley and Fort Liard regions expect another active season.
EnCana, teaming up with Anadarko Canada and ConocoPhillips Canada, plans to follow last year’s seismic gathering program by drilling its first Delta exploration well on Richard’s Island, building on data collected in the 1970s and targeting a possible depth of 10,800 feet.
The Chevron partnership with BP Energy Canada and Burlington Resources Canada expects to spend C$35 million on a single well and C$12 million on seismic as it follows through on last winter’s successful Chevron et al Langley K-30 well northwest of Inuvik.
K-30, drilled to about 4,560 feet and tested in the spring at a restricted flow rate of 18 million cubic feet per day, was the first Tertiary discovery from exploration lease sales in 1999 and 2000. It was just seven miles from Shell Canada’s 1 trillion cubic foot Niglintgak field, the smallest of the three anchor fields in the Mackenzie Gas Project.
The three-dimensional seismic will cover about 70 square miles south of Ellice Island.
Of the others who have led the way in Delta drilling over the past two winters, Devon Canada, Petro-Canada and Shell Canada have opted out of the action for the upcoming winter, despite pressures on them from the Mackenzie proponents to start putting some firm numbers on the volumes they expect to need for the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Devon looking at 2005-06 wells Devon, which has participated in five onshore Delta wells, is taking a time out to evaluate its results and ponder its next move.
Chief Executive Officer John Richels said his company wants to see the pipeline project move closer to reality before resuming onshore drilling, although both Devon and Chevron Canada are separately mulling over an extension of the hunt for gas to the shallow-water Beaufort Sea.
If Devon is able to line up partners, the tentative plan is to drill four wells at a cost of up to C$60 million each, starting in the 2005-06 winter.
In the Central Mackenzie, regulators have approved an C$18.5 million well by a Northrock Resources-led partnership. The Summit Creek B-44 well is targeting a depth of 9,800 feet.
Joint partners Paramount Resources and Apache Canada, who hold 500,000 acres of leases, expect to re-enter two Nogha discoveries made last winter to assess untested zones and have indicated they will likely drill wells to test other prospects to delineate the Nogha field.
Fort Liard in the lower Northwest Territories is awaiting regulatory approvals for two development wells by Chevron and Purcell Energy, with one well expected to be drilled from each of the existing K-29 and M-25 well sites. l
| 