Anadarko Extends Pay Zone at Hickory Field; - Sub-salt Expertise Significantly Reduces Drilling Time

abarrelfull wrote on 21 Jul 2015 10:51
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March 22 2000

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC), along with its partners Shell and Ocean Energy Inc., today announced the successful completion of drilling operations on a field development/delineation well at the company's 1998 Hickory discovery offshore Louisiana. After being drilled to a total depth of more than 18,000 feet, the Grand Isle Block 116 No. 2 well encountered main field pay zones downdip of the original discovery well (Grand Isle 116 No. 1) located about one mile to the north. Anadarko and its partners now plan to drill another 2,400 feet deeper in the Grand Isle 116 No. 2 well and potentially extend the lower limits of additional pay intervals encountered by the Grand Isle 116 No. 1 well. A separate exploration well has been approved for Grand Isle Block 111 and will begin drilling once the work on Block 116 is complete.

While drilling the second delineation well, the Transocean 96 semi- submersible rig penetrated a section of salt more than 8,000 feet thick-which the company believes is one of the thickest ever drilled in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, reaching total depth in the No. 2 well required only 38 days, a substantial reduction compared to other sub-salt wells of this type.

"This well was drilled in about half the time and at half the cost of what we expected," said John Seitz, Anadarko President and Chief Operating Officer. "The knowledge and experience we've acquired through our sub-salt program, particularly with regards to drill bit and mud technology, contributed significantly to the efficiencies we've achieved."

Anadarko also applied its expertise in sub-salt directional drilling, viewed by the industry as a major challenge of the play. In order to reach this target, the second delineation well was drilled as an S-shaped hole with a maximum angle of 42 degrees extending more than three-quarters of a mile from the original well bore.

Construction of the Hickory production platform continues and is on schedule for installation this summer. The platform has been designed to handle 300 million cubic feet of gas per day and 15,000 barrels of oil per day. First production from the Hickory Field is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2000.

Anadarko (operator) owns a 50% working interest in Grand Isle Blocks 110, 111 and 116 along with partners Shell (37.5%) and Ocean Energy (12.5%).

• Anadarko Extends Pay Zone at Hickory Field; - Sub-salt Expertise Significantly Reduces Drilling Time

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