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Upstream Online
Italian oil player Eni and Indian energy company Reliance Industries are both pushing ahead with their plans to drill ultra-deepwater wildcats off Timor-Leste in the coming months.
Russell Searancke, Wellington 16 July 2010
Eni said in its environmental impact statement to the Timor-Leste authorities that it plans to drill the Cova 1 wildcat in September, slightly later than previous plans.
The company confirmed it will use the dynamically-positioned drillship Saipem 10,000 for a 45-day campaign to drill Cova 1 in water depths of 1930 metres.
The support vessel Sea Witch will be working alongside the Saipem 10,000 at all times during drilling.
It will carry out its services from Darwin in northern Australia, but helicopter back-up will come via the Timor-Leste capital Dili.
Eni holds an 80% operating stake in Block C, where its joint venture partners are Korea Gas Corporation with 10% and Portugal’s Galp on 10%.
The permit is located in the northern Bonaparte basin in Timor-Leste’s sovereign waters, about 100 kilometres from the south coast of the country.
No wells have been drilled in the block, but Eni has acquired extensive amounts of 2D and 3D seismic data over all five of its exploration permits in Timor-Leste Blocks A, B, C, E and H.
“The overarching driver for drilling the Cova 1 well is the search for oil to satisfy global demand for hydrocarbon products,” said Eni.
“A 3D seismic survey conducted in June 2007 indicated the presence of potential hydrocarbon prospects (in Block C). Drilling is the only way more definitive data can be obtained on the presence of hydrocarbons and the economic viability of their production.
“Further justification for drilling the Cova 1 well is the benefits the development of Timor-Leste’s oil and gas resources can bring to the people of Timor-Leste.”
Meanwhile, Reliance Industries is also pursuing its pledged commitment to drill one exploration well in Block K.
The company has just submitted its environmental impact assessment, but the document is not publicly available yet.
However, non-governmental organisation La’o Hamutuk has posted a submission on its website, and urged the government not to approve the document.
“We believe that this document does not demonstrate the capacity, the intention or the specific actions which are necessary to ensure that this test drilling, 2800 meters deep under 1246 metres of seawater, will be managed in a way which does not unduly endanger Timor-Leste,” said La’o Hamutuk.
The organisation urged the authorities “to reject this plan, and to order Reliance to rewrite it, correcting the deficiencies and filling in the gaps” that La’o Hamutuk identified.
La’o Hamutuk also accused Reliance of creating a conflict of interest by hiring the brother of a former Reliance employee, who is currently employed by Timor-Leste’s National Petroleum Authority (ANP), to prepare Reliance’s environmental impact assessment.
Sources said Reliance hopes to spud its Block K commitment well in November using Transocean drillship Deepwater Frontier, which it will mobilise from India.
Reliance had previously planned to shift the semi-submersible Blackford Dolphin from India to Timor-Leste, but has opted instead for the Deepwater Frontier.
Reliance has previously acquired 2D and 3D seismic in its 2384 square-kilometre Block K.
The Indian company owns a 75% operating stake in the permit, where its co-venturers are Indian Oil Corporation with 12.5% and Oil India Ltd on 12.5%.
Water depths in Block K are understood to be between 1000 and 2000 metres.
The two wells drilled by Eni and Reliance in Timor-Leste’s waters have the potential to be very significant for future upstream industry interest and for Timor-Leste’s fragile economy.
.
Upstream Online
Italian oil player Eni and Indian energy company Reliance Industries are both pushing ahead with their plans to drill ultra-deepwater wildcats off Timor-Leste in the coming months.
Russell Searancke, Wellington 16 July 2010
Eni said in its environmental impact statement to the Timor-Leste authorities that it plans to drill the Cova 1 wildcat in September, slightly later than previous plans.
The company confirmed it will use the dynamically-positioned drillship Saipem 10,000 for a 45-day campaign to drill Cova 1 in water depths of 1930 metres.
The support vessel Sea Witch will be working alongside the Saipem 10,000 at all times during drilling.
It will carry out its services from Darwin in northern Australia, but helicopter back-up will come via the Timor-Leste capital Dili.
Eni holds an 80% operating stake in Block C, where its joint venture partners are Korea Gas Corporation with 10% and Portugal’s Galp on 10%.
The permit is located in the northern Bonaparte basin in Timor-Leste’s sovereign waters, about 100 kilometres from the south coast of the country.
No wells have been drilled in the block, but Eni has acquired extensive amounts of 2D and 3D seismic data over all five of its exploration permits in Timor-Leste Blocks A, B, C, E and H.
“The overarching driver for drilling the Cova 1 well is the search for oil to satisfy global demand for hydrocarbon products,” said Eni.
“A 3D seismic survey conducted in June 2007 indicated the presence of potential hydrocarbon prospects (in Block C). Drilling is the only way more definitive data can be obtained on the presence of hydrocarbons and the economic viability of their production.
“Further justification for drilling the Cova 1 well is the benefits the development of Timor-Leste’s oil and gas resources can bring to the people of Timor-Leste.”
Meanwhile, Reliance Industries is also pursuing its pledged commitment to drill one exploration well in Block K.
The company has just submitted its environmental impact assessment, but the document is not publicly available yet.
However, non-governmental organisation La’o Hamutuk has posted a submission on its website, and urged the government not to approve the document.
“We believe that this document does not demonstrate the capacity, the intention or the specific actions which are necessary to ensure that this test drilling, 2800 meters deep under 1246 metres of seawater, will be managed in a way which does not unduly endanger Timor-Leste,” said La’o Hamutuk.
The organisation urged the authorities “to reject this plan, and to order Reliance to rewrite it, correcting the deficiencies and filling in the gaps” that La’o Hamutuk identified.
La’o Hamutuk also accused Reliance of creating a conflict of interest by hiring the brother of a former Reliance employee, who is currently employed by Timor-Leste’s National Petroleum Authority (ANP), to prepare Reliance’s environmental impact assessment.
Sources said Reliance hopes to spud its Block K commitment well in November using Transocean drillship Deepwater Frontier, which it will mobilise from India.
Reliance had previously planned to shift the semi-submersible Blackford Dolphin from India to Timor-Leste, but has opted instead for the Deepwater Frontier.
Reliance has previously acquired 2D and 3D seismic in its 2384 square-kilometre Block K.
The Indian company owns a 75% operating stake in the permit, where its co-venturers are Indian Oil Corporation with 12.5% and Oil India Ltd on 12.5%.
Water depths in Block K are understood to be between 1000 and 2000 metres.
The two wells drilled by Eni and Reliance in Timor-Leste’s waters have the potential to be very significant for future upstream industry interest and for Timor-Leste’s fragile economy.
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Will the Aussies let????
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