Shell Todd Oil Services communications advisor Steven Bartholomeusz confirmed the awarding, by Crown Minerals, of the 213.7 square kilometre licence PEP 38452 along the Maui permit’s southeast border.
STOS – which operates Maui on behalf of Shell Exploration New Zealand (83.75%), Austrian firm OMV (10%) and Todd Energy (6.25%) – applied for the new acreage last December.
The initial term of the new licence is four years and Bartholomeusz said STOS had already started reprocessing 3D seismic data covering the original Maui production lease and part of the new block.
“This will identify any prospects that could be commercially developed using the existing Maui infrastructure,” he told PetroleumNews.net from Wellington.
Crown Minerals said the partners are also required to do technical studies and commit to drilling an exploration well within the first three years of the permit.
After four years, the partners should have drilled a well to test the Cape Egmont fault zone, relinquished half the acreage, or surrendered the permit.
During the 1990s, STOS had the then largest 3D seismic survey in New Zealand shot over nearly all the Maui licence, plus some adjoining acreage.
It identified several prospects and leads – including the Ihi gas prospect that was drilled successfully last year – for possible future exploration.
