Baku, Azerbaijan, March 10
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
Roxi Petroleum, the Central Asian oil and gas company with a focus on Kazakhstan, progressed at its flagship BNG asset, according to the company's message.
Since the operational update on 13 February 2015, the final 50 meters of coil tubing and drilling fluids have been successfully cleared from Deep Well A5 in the BNG Contract Area, the company said.
"The well remains blocked by a drill bit dropped during the clean up operation. Work continues to remove the drill bit to allow testing," said the company's message. "Based on progress to date Roxi's management still expects the well to be clear and testing to have commenced by the end of March."
Despite the blockage small quantities of oil of a high quality continue to flow to the surface under its own pressure.
Moreover, Deep Well 801, which was spudded on 15 December 2014, is to be drilled to a total depth of 4,950 meters targeting the Lower Carboniferous. The well is being drilled by Sinopec, the Chinese multinational, for a fixed cost of $11 million.
Drilling at Deep Well 801 has reached the salt layer at 3,560 meters without incidents. As planned drilling has now paused to allow casing to be set. Once the casing is set the company plans to drill through more difficult intervals comprising first a salt layer of approximately 300 meters and then an 800 meter section with high pressure in the lower Permian. The final 310 meters to be drilled to a Total Depth of 4,950 meters is expected to be less difficult to drill. Periodically during the remaining stages of drilling work will pause to set further casing.
"We continue to expect the well will reach Total Depth by mid April 2015," the company said.
Moreover, following extended swabbing operations at Well 143 Roxi reports that oil with only minimal water content has been produced under natural flow, at the rate of 70 barrels of oil per day (41 net to Roxi) from the combined intervals between 2,704-2,709.5 meters and 2,692-2,693.5 meters.
"We are now continuing the testing of those intervals and will then also test intervals in the Upper Jurassic between 2,410-2,413 meters and 2,193-2,202 meters," the company said.
The BNG Contract Area is located in the west of Kazakhstan 40 kilometers southeast of Tengiz on the edge of the Mangistau Oblast, covering an area of 1,561 square kilometers of which 1,376 square kilometers has 3D seismic coverage acquired in 2009 and 2010.
Roxi has a 58.41 percent interest in the BNG Contract Area.
Roxi Petroleum PLC is a Kazakhstan based oil and gas exploration and production company established in October 2006. Roxi's commercial rationale is to acquire and develop interests in oil and gas assets in Central Asia with a focus on Kazakhstan. Roxi's three principal assets are our interests in the BNG, Galaz and Munaily Contract Areas.
Edited by S.I.
Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
