1/5/2016
CALGARY, Alberta -- Valeura Energy has made a natural gas discovery with its first exploration well, Bati Gurgen-1, on its 100% owned and operated Banarli licenses in Turkey’s Thrace basin. The well flowed at an initial restricted rate of 3.4 MMcfgd on a 24-hour production test.
The company drilled its first two exploration wells on the Banarli licenses in November and December, with encouraging results. Since that time, completion and testing of the first well, Bati Gurgen-1, and construction of the tie-in facilities has been underway with first gas targeted for the end of January.
Bati Gurgen-1
Bati Gurgen-1 was drilled to a measured depth of 2,735 m into the top of the Teslimkoy member of the Mezardere formation and was cased to a measured depth of 2,729 m. Log analysis indicated 32 m of aggregate net gas pay at an average porosity of 19.6% in multiple stacked sands in the Danismen and Osmancik formations. The well also penetrated several over-pressured, thinner and tighter stacked sands in the Mezardere formation.
The main completion program consisted of perforating approximately 13 m of conventional stacked sands in the Osmancik formation below 1,480 m and carrying out a 24-hour production test. Over this period, 3,448 Mcf of natural gas, 15 bbl of condensate and minimal water were produced at a stable restricted rate of approximately 3.4 MMcfd through a 36/64-inch choke and a final flowing wellhead pressure of 1,307 psi. It is expected that the Danismen formation will be completed within one or two months after the well is on production to permit further performance monitoring of the Osmancik formation alone.
Prior to completing the Osmancik formation, a diagnostic fracture injection test was carried out in a short interval in the Teslimkoy, at a depth of approximately 2,560 m, to measure formation pressure, permeability and fracture properties to support future exploration and frac design. The test confirmed that the formation is significantly over-pressured at this depth with a pressure gradient of 0.69 psi/ft, compared to a normal gradient of 0.43 psi/ft. This result is generally consistent with Valeura's interpretation of a potential pressure seal at a depth of approximately 2,500 m across the Banarli licenses, below which elevated pressures are to be expected with potential for a basin-centered gas play.
Although measured porosity and permeability in the Teslimkoy were encouraging, net pay was insufficient to warrant fracing and the Bati Gurgen-1 well was therefore plugged back to a depth of 2,540 m before completing the Osmancik. However, these Teslimkoy evaluation results have provided encouragement to do similar diagnostic fracture injection testing in advance of a planned frac program in the Yayli-1 well, which was drilled 179 m deeper than the Bati Gurgen-1 well and encountered much thicker aggregate net pay in the Teslimkoy.
The Bati Gurgen-1 well is currently shut-in awaiting completion of the pipeline tie-in to the dehydration facility at the Gurgen-1 well (Valeura 40% working interest) located approximately 3 km to the southeast on the joint venture lands acquired from Thrace Basin Natural Gas (Turkiye) Corporation and Pinnacle Turkey Inc.
Yayli-1
The Yayli-1 exploration well was drilled to a measured depth of 2,914 m into the Teslimkoy member of the Mezardere formation and was cased to a measured depth of 2,910 m. Log analysis indicated 14 m of aggregate net gas pay at an average porosity of 15% in several stacked sands in the Osmancik formation. More significantly, the well also penetrated multiple over-pressured, tighter stacked sands in a series of interpreted coalesced basin floor fans in the Teslimkoy.
The planned testing and completion program on the Yayli-1 well will initially include a diagnostic fracture injection test in a section of the Teslimkoy containing several sand intervals at a depth of approximately 2,850 m to 2,875 m. One of these sand intervals yielded very strong gas shows during drilling and appears to be rubblized/fractured based on interpretation of the formation micro-imaging log. It is expected that this injection test will confirm a level of over-pressure similar to the Bati Gurgen-1 well and provide additional reservoir information to support proceeding with fracture stimulations on one or more intervals in the Teslimkoy. However, before the Yayli-1 well can be fraced, the wellhead will need to be retrofitted to increase its pressure rating from 5,000 psi to 10,000 psi, which is expected to be completed by late January.
Trenching and laying of the 8-inch pipeline to tie-in the Bati Gurgen-1 well to the TBNG JV facilities at the Gurgen-1 well is underway. Provisions are being made to tie-in the Yayli-1 well to a junction at the Bati Gurgen-1 well. First gas from Banarli continues to be targeted for the end of January.
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