Agora Oil & Gas AS, the Stavanger-based exploration company (Agora), has been participating through its wholly owned subsidiary Agora Oil and Gas (UK) Limited in testing three exploration prospects on the UK Continental Shelf. Wells have been drilled on the Tybalt prospect (Licence P1632, Block 211/8c), the Catcher prospect (Licence P1430, blocks 28/9 and 28/10c) and the Conan prospect (Licence P1482, blocks 113/26b and 113/27c). The well and sidetrack drilled on the Tybalt prospect and the Catcher well have all proved oil to be present. The two wells drilled on the Tybalt prospects have encountered larger oil columns than expected and may represent a single accumulation having a uniform and deeper oil-water contact. The reservoir and oil quality in Catcher are both more favourable than prognoses. The Conan prospect in the East Irish Sea was dry.

Tybalt prospects (Licence P1632, Block 211/8c) The Tybalt East prospect, drilled by exploration well 211/8c-4, proved oil in reservoir sandstones of Upper Jurassic age, 'Magnus sands', pinching out towards a stratigraphic high. The oil bearing sandstones in Tybalt East are estimated to be between 100-200 feet (30-60 m) thick. The sidetrack well 211/8c-4z, testing the Tybalt West prospect, encountered oil bearing Upper Magnus sandstone sequence of 700 feet (210 m) of which 550 feet (168 m) is considered as reservoir. This was larger than the pre-drill estimates, and pressure and sample data collected imply up to three separate oil columns to be present with the largest totalling 423 feet (129 m). The size of the overall oil column encountered suggests that the two Tybalt prospects are in communication and may therefore represent one accumulation.

Initial analysis suggests the reservoir quality in the Tybalt West prospect to be better than that encountered in the Tybalt East discovery well. An extensive dataset has been gathered and the partnership has now decided to proceed with a Drill Stem Test (DST) of the well with results expected in the next two weeks.

The currently discovered volumes are believed to be commercial. Further, the large oil column could lead to additional upside in the block to the north and west. Due to the complexity of the geology encountered there is considerable uncertainty that requires further appraisal drilling to confirm any upside beyond the current volumes in the vicinity of the two wells drilled to date.

Valiant Petroleum is Operator of the Licence P1632 (Block 211/8c) with 80 % working interest and Agora Oil & Gas (UK) Limited holds a 20 % working interest.

Catcher Prospect (Licence P1632, Block 211/8c) The exploration well 28/9-1, which was drilled to 5,219 feet, has successfully encountered excellent quality oil bearing Palaeocene reservoir sandstones at 4,600 feet belonging to the Cromarty Sandstone. Pressure and log data indicate the structure to have an oil water contact at 4,840 feet.

Initial analysis indicates the discovery of a minimum 240 feet oil column with calculated net pay of 90 feet. Extensive sampling and pressure testing of the hydrocarbon bearing zones have been made and a preliminary analysis suggests the hydrocarbons are light oil with an API of approximately 30 degrees. Analysis of the logs suggest excellent quality sands with porosities of approximately 34 %, although analysis has not yet been completed it is expected that these sands will have excellent permeability.

The licence partnership now plan to perform a Drill Stem Test (DST) with the primary objective to collect flow rate characteristics and oil samples for potential development studies. Testing is expected to take approximately 10 days. Dependent upon the results of the testing, the group plan to drill a side-track to test the Catcher East area, which demonstrates similar seismic characteristics to the Catcher discovery area. Following this, a further side-track generally to the west of the current location is also being considered to better understand reservoir development in this area of the Catcher discovery.

The licensees in Licence P1632 (Block 211/8c) are Encore Petroleum Limited (Operator, 15 %), Premier Oil UK Limited (35 %), Wintershall (UK North Sea) Limited (20 %) and Nautical Petroleum plc (15%) and Agora Oil & Gas (UK) Limited (15 %).

Conan (P1482, blocks 113/26b and 11327c) Agora also participated in an exploration well to test the Conan gas prospect in licence P1482 (blocks 113/26b and 113/27c). This well did not encounter hydrocarbons and was plugged and abandoned as a dry hole. Agora holds a 35 % working interest in this licence, which is operated by Serica Energy (UK) Limited (65 %).

Agora CEO Svein Ilebekk said, 'We are very pleased to have made discoveries in the Tybalt and Catcher prospects only 8 months after forming Agora. We are encouraged by the results of the ongoing operations and will provide an update of the upcoming testing and sidetracking programmes in due course. This very positive start to Agora's drilling campaign only strengthens our conviction that we can participate in the many valuable hydrocarbon accumulations remaining to be discovered in the mature parts of the North Sea'.

Tags: Agora Oil & Gas