UK-based Dana Petroleum has announced that it will commence drilling operations on a new exploration well in the southern North Sea in collaboration with global oil and gas exploration company, RWE.
As part of the drilling programme, both companies will target the Severn prospect in blocks 43/17a, 43/18a, which includes Carboniferous sandstones.
The Severn well is the third well that Dana has drilled in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) in 2013 – it is scheduled to reach its total depth in seven weeks.
The project, where Dana and the operator RWE hold a 50% stake each, is expected to begin drilling operations in a few days.
Dana UK managing director, Paul Griffin, said the Severn prospect is a long-planned part of the company’s 2013 drilling programme in the North Sea and further underlines its long-term commitment to the UKCS. The company also announced that it has completed drilling of Magnolia (Licence P.1610, Block 13/23a) exploration prospect.
Magnolia’s exploration well was plugged and abandoned after the drilling reached its primary targets within the Lower Cretaceous interval, but did not encounter any significant hydrocarbons.
Other partners in the Magnolia prospect include Summit Petroleum, Trap Oil and Atlantic Petroleum with 25%, ten percent and 20% interest respectively.
Dana used the Ocean Nomad drilling rig for the prospect and is considering deploying it for development drilling on its $1.6bn Western Isles project, by the end of 2013. In early March, Dana announced that it had started drilling an exploration well in the Moray Firth area of the North Sea.
The well, located near the Captain field, will target the Magnolia prospect in block 13/23a, which includes early Cretaceous sandstones.
Image: Drilling on Severn prospect will begin in a few days. Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos / TeddyBear[Picnic].
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