The OD&E Rig 19 spudded Oru-1 about 2km east of Swift Energy New Zealand’s Waihapa oil field and associated production facilities and is due to take less than two weeks to reach the deviated 1677m target depth within the Miocene-aged Mount Messenger formation.
The primary ojectives for Oru-1 are the Mako A and B sandstones within the Oru Prospect, a simple anticlinal structure, which were encountered at the nearby 1993 Wingrove-1 well. Wingrove-1 encountered extensive oil and gas shows while drilling and coring this interval, which were subsequently drill stem tested, resulting in a minor oil recovery.
PanContinental chief executive Andy Svalbe last week said that given success at Oru-1, the joint venture would have the opportunity to quickly commercialise the discovery by using the nearby Waihapa oil and gas processing facilities.
The joint venture had also approved the construction of the Pukengahu-1 wellsite and access road immediately to the southeast of Oru in the same licence. The partners would make a final decision to drill into the Pukengahu prospect after the results of Oru-1 had been evaluated.
The PEP 38716 partners are: operator Austral Pacific Energy (45.79173%), Pancontinental Oil & Gas (through Euro Pacific Energy) (9.41512%), Swift Energy NZ (21.39801%), Todd Pohokura (9.41512%), Rata Energy (7.13266%) and Springfield Oil and Gas (6.84736%).
