Relinquishment Report for Licence P1259

Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
Relinquishment Report
for
Licence P1259
Full relinquishment of Blocks:
36/15, 36/20, 36/25, 37/11, 37/16, 37/17, 37/18, 37/19, 37/20, 37/21,
37/22, 37/23, 37/24, 37/25, 38/16, 38/21, 38/22, 38/26, 38/27 and
38/28.
December 2009
Prepared by Esso Exploration and Production UK
December 2009
Page 1
Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
1. Header
Licence Number:
Licence Round
Licence Type:
Block Numbers:
Equity Holdings:
P1259
23rd Round - Awarded 22/12/05
Traditional Seaward Production Licence, with 4 year 1st term
36/15, 36/20, 36/25, 37/11, 37/16, 37/17, 37/18, 37/19, 37/20, 37/21,
37/22, 37/23, 37/24, 37/25, 38/16, 38/21, 38/22, 38/26, 38/27 and
38/28.
Esso Exploration and Production UK Ltd, 75% (Operator)
Shell UK Ltd 25%
Work Programme :
Programme completed:
Reprocess 500 Km seismic 2D data and drill one firm well to
2650m SS Depth or 50M below Devonian Kyle Limestone
Reprocessed 514 Km 2D seismic spec data and drilled one well
to 2312m SS Depth. Dispensation for depth obligation granted
by DECC on 12th March 2009. No outstanding commitments
2. Synopsis
License P1259 was a traditional license awarded on 22/12/05 for an initial, 4 year 1st term.
The work programme was completed and the exploration well was unsuccessful. The
complete licence was relinquished before the end of the initial 4 year term.
3. Exploration Activities
Digital copies of old 2D spec seismic were purchased, plus several new long-offset spec lines.
Some of this data (514 Km) was re-processed. Additional released 2D seismic was obtained
from DEAL.
Basin modelling, Grav/mag modelling, FIV analysis, basin modelling, global analogues and
detailed paleogeographic mapping were all completed.
One exploration well 37/25-1 (Corbenic) was drilled Feb-March 2009, by the Noble Hans
Deul. The well was drilled to a TD of 2312 m TVDSS depth into basement, then Plugged and
abandoned.
4. Prospectivity Analysis
The exploration target in Licence P.1259 is the Devonian Kyle Limestone which was
encountered in several local wells (37/12-1, 38/3-1, 30/16-5, 30/24-3), with the main tie well
for the Mid North Sea High area being the 37/12-1 well. Three large closures (named Ardbeg,
Bowmore and Corbenic) are mapped in Licence P.1259 at the Kyle Limestone level. Detailed
environment of deposition mapping suggested Corbenic had been deposited in the more
favourable location for both reservoir (shallower water) and closest to potential source
development.
December 2009
Page 2
Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
37/10-1
Corbenic well
36/15-1
36/13-1
NO
IP
RP
E
(to
Te
i
es
Corbenic
)
de
36/23-1
38/18-1
38/16-1
38/22-1
37/23-1
38/24-1
38/29-1
ZEEPIPE / FRANPIPE (to Continent)
CA
TS
(t o
Te
e
sid
e)
SEAL (to Ba
cto
n)
Figure 1 MNSH Licence P 1259, Infrastructure / Location Map
43/5-1
The purpose of the 37/25-1 (Corbenic) well was to test the hydrocarbon resource potential of
the Middle/Late Devonian Kyle Limestone play and specifically the Corbenic Prospect. The
anticipated hydrocarbon type was dry gas. This was a wildcat exploration well on one of the
three mapped, large structural closures on the Mid North Sea High. The plan was to TD the
well below the Kyle Limestone Group.
The well was drilled to a TD of 2312 m TVDSS, 13 m into metamorphic basement. The well
was plugged and abandoned as a dry hole. The metamorphic basement came in shallow to
prognosis and there was no Kyle Limestone present at the well location, where Pre-Zechstein
Sandstone lay directly on basement. The well prognosis Vs. the post well stratigraphy is
shown in Figure 2.
No top seal or any indications of a valid hydrocarbon source, for the play, were encountered
in the Corbenic well. Post-well interpretation of the Kyle Limestone (Figures 3 and 4 )
suggests this reservoir target on-laps/abuts the basement just northwest of the 37/25-1
(Corbenic) well location. This interpretation modifies the original Corbenic prospect, but does
not alter the Ardbeg and Bowmore structures previously mapped.
December 2009
Page 3
Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
QUATERNARY
L-M Pleistocene
Batavia/Aurora/Outer Silver
Pit ______(-308m)
----(-39m)
Batavia/Aurora/Outer Silver
Pit (-316m)
13 3/8” Casing
@ 1180m
Cretaceous
Chalk
12 ¼” Hole
(-1159m)
Conductor
Tertiary (undifferentiated)
108m
(-529m)
Chalk Grp. (Undiff.)’
(-1141m)
13 3/8” Casing
@ 1170m
12 ¼” Hole
Chalk Grp. (Undiff.)
30” Hole
(-71m)
30” x1,5”
Tertiary
Tertiary
(Undifferentiated)
______(-570m)
Montrose / Moray / Stronsay Grps.
Markhams Hole ____(-528m)
LITHOLOGY
Yarmouth Roads Fm.
Markhams Hole (-428m)
17½
HOLE
L-M Pleistocene
Dogger Bank Fm.
U. Cretaceous
Chalk
Tertiary
----(-39.6m)
Seabed at ----(-39m)
30” x1” Conductor
@110m
Yarmouth Roads Fm. ----------(-72m)
Montrose / Moray / Stronsay Grps.
QUATERNARY
Dogger Bank Fm.
Actual
LITHOLOGY
17 ½” Hole
Prognosed
Seabed at ----(-39.6m)
C.K. Marl (-1673m)
----- (-2216m)
Mid Devonian Carbonate
-------- (-2380m)
Kimmeridge (-1828m)
5/8” Casing
Z1 and Z29-----(-1975m)
1983m
Upper@
Old
Red Sst
(-2045m)
Caledonian Basement
8½” Hole
Upper Old Red Sst
Perm
@ 1968m
Lwr Cret clay (-1720m)
H
u
m
Zech
9 5/8” Casing
8½”
Hole
Upper ORS
Devonian Carboniferous
Kyle
Z1 and Z2 -----(-1963m)
J
u
r
.
Upper ORS
Hais.
Dowsing ------(-1799m)
K
lwr.
Devonian ??
Kimmeridge ------ (-1745m)
Permian
Zechstein
Hum
Trias
K.N. Red Chalk ----- (-1699m)
Jur.
TD 2312m
(-2300m)
Primary Target
absent
Caledonian Basement
--------(-2714m)
TD:_______(-2764m)
Figure 2 Prognosed Vs actual stratigraphy
Corbenic Prospect
The post-well interpretation of the Corbenic structure suggests it is a large basement high
feature, with the Devonian Kyle Limestone only present on it’s northwestern edge (Figures 3
and 4). This results in a Statigraphic (3-way closure) trap of the Kyle Limestone abutting the
basement to the south. However, from the 37/25-1 well results, there is no top seal or any
indication of a working hydrocarbon system. Nor is there any seismic evidence of “reefal”
character. The pre-well interpreted “karsted reefal” character is now interpreted as eroded
basement.
December 2009
Page 4
Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
B
seismic character change re-interpreted as
Devonian carbonate abutting basement
along possible linearity (fault?)
max closure
2800 m TVDSS
Depth (m)
2500
Corbenic 37/25-1 well
2500
2500
le L
Ky
2500
a
n-l
st o
ps
Kyle Lst abuts basement high
e
bas
nt
me
B’
2500
Figure 3, Corbenic prospect post-well interpretation
SE
NW
TWT
In secs
Corbenic Prospect
B
B’
37/25-1Corbenic
Reef Edge
B
Corbenic
1.8
Top Devonian
Carbonate
Interpreted
Reef
Reef Facies
Base Devonian
Carbonate
2.0
2.2
Pre-drill interpretation
B’
20 Km
2.4
CI : 200ms
37/25-1 Corbenic
Top Devonian
Carbonate
Zechstein evaporites
TWT
In secs
1.8
Base Devonian
Carbonate
Basement
B
Corbenic
Basement
high
2.0
?
ent
sem
Ba
B’
higher amplitude and
more chaotic, weathered,
reflection
Devonian
Kyle Lst
Onlaps
basement
5 Km
20 Km
2.2
Post-drill interpretation
CI : 200ms
Figure 4, Pre and post-well (37/25-1) seismic interpretation
December 2009
Page 5
Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
Ardbeg Lead
The Ardbeg Lead is the largest of the three mapped feature at the Top Kyle Limestone. It is a
huge anticlinal closure straddling blocks 36/15, 36/20, 36/25, 37/11, 37/16, 37/17, 37/21 and
37/22 with a closing contour of ~2750 m sub-sea depth. However there is a direct seismic
character tie to well 37/12-1. Well 37/12-1 drilled a much smaller Kyle Limestone 4-way
closure to the northeast and this well was tight (< 3% porosity) and had no hydrocarbon
shows. Nor was there any indication of hydrocarbons from FIV analysis.
Bowmore Lead
The Bowmore Lead (Figure 4) is the central structure of the three 4-way dip closures mapped
at the Devonian Kyle Limestone level. It straddles blocks 37/18,19, 23 and 24 with a closing
contour of ~ 2750 m sub-sea depth. However there is no seismic evidence for carbonate buildup at Bowmore and the nearby wells (37/12-1 and 37/25-1) do not indicate a working
hydrocarbon system.
37/12-1
Depth (m)
B
Corbenic
38/16-1
Ardbeg
38/18-1
37/25-1
Bowmore
B’
Figure 5, Devonian Kyle Limestone depth map
Shallow Potential
There are no un-drilled Base Zechstein closures on the P1259 acreage and there are no
Mesozoic reservoirs encountered in any of the local wells. Hence no shallower prospectivity
is recognised in Licence P1259.
December 2009
Page 6
Licence P1259. Relinquishment report
Conclusion
The high risk play has been tested by the 37/25-1 (Corbenic) well and found to be absent as
there is no working hydrocarbon system. Although the 37/25-1 well did not encounter the
Kyle Limestone, the unit is interpreted to still exist over most of Licence P1259. Two large
closures remain un-drilled, but are predicted to be tight limestone with no reservoir
development.
Clearance
The Licence partners have reviewed this document and given permission for publication. The
owners of the spec seismic data have also given their clearance for publication of the seismic
data.
December 2009
Page 7