Noble Energy, Inc. declared a discovery at the Big Bend exploration prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The well, located in 7,200 feet of water on Mississippi Canyon Block 698, was drilled to a total depth of 15,989 feet. Open-hole logging identified approximately 150 feet of net oil pay in two high-quality Miocene reservoirs.

Charles D. Davidson, Noble Energy's Chairman and CEO, said, "The discovery at Big Bend is an exciting follow-up to our recent success at Galapagos. The well results appear at least as good as our pre-drill mean resource expectations and de-risked our offset prospect Troubadour. The combination of excellent reservoir properties, fluid characteristics and our high working interest in this project will contribute significant production and cash flow for our business."

Tags: Noble Energy