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Operator Austral Pacific Energy on Saturday reported the strategic PEP 38738 well had reached the 4895m TD over the Christmas break and that all anticipated reservoir targets within the Eocene-aged Kapuni formation had been intersected.
“Good quality” electric logs showed that in addition to the previously reported McKee and K1A sands, several hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone units were also intersected within the K2 interval. The deeper K3E sands, which are the main producer units in the adjacent Kapuni field, were also well developed, and the logs indicated these too were gas charged.
Given these results, the decision was taken to run 7-inch liner across the open hole interval down to TD, in preparation for future production testing, Austral announced.
“However, operational problems during the cementing of this liner in place in the hole have now created a situation where it is not presently possible to access this section of the well," the company said.
“At the time of this report, efforts are underway to free the downhole assembly. In the event that these efforts are not successful, it will be necessary to deviate out of the existing well near 3000m and re-drill the entire 81/2" hole section to TD."
This would take about three weeks to complete. The new hole would then have to be cased and completed for testing, and Austral estimated that production testing would not start commence until February.
There have been unconfirmed media reports that the entire drilling assembly of the Parker Drilling 246 rig was accidentally cemented into place at the bottom of the hole when liquid cement was inadvertently poured down the inside, as well as the outside, of the liner.
Major energy player Genesis Energy is funding the drilling of Cardiff-2, to a cap of NZ$15 million, in exchange for rights to all Eocene-aged gas accessed by the well.
Austral also said the reconfiguration of the nearby Cheal-A wellsite (in the same licence) was underway in preparation for jet-pump production tests of the Cheal-A3X and Cheal-A4 wells from January 10.
