Wressle-1 Update and Forward Plan

RNS Number : 0918Y

Egdon Resources PLC

04 September 2015

 

EGDON RESOURCES PLC

                                                                                                                      4 September 2015

("Egdon" or "the Company")

Wressle-1 Update and Forward Plan

Egdon Resources plc (AIM:EDR) provides an update on the Extended Well Test ("EWT") operations at the Wressle-1 oil and gas discovery in licence PEDL180, located to the east of Scunthorpe, where Egdon operates with a 25% interest.

Egdon has commenced the planning and permitting work which will support the submission of a Field Development Plan ("FDP") and a planning application for production at Wressle.

Operations on the Penistone Flags oil zone ("Zone 3A") have now been suspended.  The planned oil injection test to determine reservoir permeability was not undertaken due to delays from the Environment Agency in clarifying whether the current permit for the site allows for such an operation.   In the tests conducted to date, both oil and gas have flowed with no evidence of water. Encouragingly, the well test data together with the log data indicate that the elevation of the oil water contact is deeper than previously considered for the Penistone Flags reservoir.   An understanding of the oil water contact will enable a more accurate quantification of the oil and gas resource volumes together with optimisation of future well placement for development of this reservoir. In order to meet these objectives, Egdon now plans to undertake a further test to establish the nature of the fluids in the lowermost part of the Penistone Flags reservoir.

Plans are currently being finalised for a workover of the well in order to remove the existing completion, cement off the existing Zone 3A perforations, open new perforations into the lowermost parts of the Penistone Flags reservoir and drill short horizontal bores into the reservoir section by water jetting (" radial drilling") to be followed by a short flow test to establish the nature of the fluids in this interval.

In relation to the Ashover Grit reservoir, we have been unable to re-establish flow from this interval during EWT operations.  The new planned workover will enable the existing completion to be inspected and, if required, a programme of remedial works to be undertaken prior to continuing with the EWT.

Although the Ashover Grit flowed at a rate of 80 barrels of oil per day when tested in February of this year, analysis of the well test data indicates that the flow rates were impaired due to a high "Skin Factor" and therefore were not representative of the flow rates that could be attained from this interval when fully "cleaned up". Egdon is examining options that could be implemented to increase production by reducing the Skin Factor including radial drilling of this interval as part of the planned workover.

Operations are expected to resume by late September or earliest October.  

We are also expecting shortly the results of reprocessing of the 3D seismic data over the Wressle structure which will assist in finalising the FDP and identifying any additional prospectivity.  Egdon remain committed to seeking early oil production from the Wressle site subject to receipt of the necessary consents. 

Commenting on the update, Mark Abbott, Managing Director of Egdon Resources said:

"Development of the Penistone Flags reservoir will require careful positioning of any future well to optimise oil production from this interval in which we have seen a higher level of gas than in other reservoir intervals.  The planned additional test is designed to gain the appropriate information in the most cost-effective manner whilst also evaluating radial drilling which is one of the potential development options being considered for this interval.  We also look forward to determining the cause of the issue with the Ashover Grit EWT and to resolving this such that we will be able to determine the true potential for oil production from this interval."

For further information please contact:

Egdon Resources plc

Mark Abbott, Jerry Field                                                                                          01256 702 292

Buchanan

Richard Darby, Anna Michniewicz                                                                         020 7466 5000

Nominated Adviser and Broker - Cantor Fitzgerald Europe

David Porter, Sarah Wharry (Corporate Finance)                                                  020 7894 7000

Richard Redmayne (Corporate Broking)

Joint Broker - VSA Capital Limited

Andrew Monk (Corporate Broking)                                                                         020 3005 5000

Andrew Raca (Corporate Finance)

Notes to Editors:

The Wressle Oil Discovery -The Wressle Prospect was defined on proprietary 3D seismic data, which was acquired by Egdon in February 2012.  The structure is located on trend with the producing Crosby Warren oil field and the Broughton-B1 oil discovery, both to the immediate northwest, and the Brigg-1 oil discovery to the immediate southeast.  All contain oil in various different sandstone reservoirs within the Upper Carboniferous succession. The pre-drill gross mean Prospective Resources at Wressle, as calculated by Egdon, were estimated to be 2.1 million barrels of oil. This will be updated following the results of the current test operations.

The Wressle-1 well reached a total depth (TD) of 2240 metres measured depth (MD) (1814 metres true vertical depth below OS datum (TVDSS)) on 23 August 2014.  Elevated mud gas readings were observed over large parts of the interval from the top of the Penistone Flags reservoir target (1831.5 metres MD) to TD. The interests in the Wressle-1 well are:

Egdon Resources U.K. Limited                                     25.00% (Operator)

Celtique Energie Petroleum Limited                               33.33%

Europa Oil & Gas Limited                                              33.34%

Union Jack Oil plc                                                          8.33%

The well was logged using measurement whilst drilling (MWD) logging tools run on the drill string.  Petrophysical evaluation of the log data indicated the presence of potential hydrocarbon pay in three main intervals;

·      Penistone Flags - up to 19.8 metres measured thickness (15.9 metres vertical thickness)

·      Wingfield Flags - up to 5.64 metres measured thickness (5.1 metres vertical thickness)

·      Ashover Grit - up to 6.1 metres measured thickness (5.8 metres vertical thickness)

On 9 February 2015, shareholders were updated on the successful Ashover Grit Flow Test, which recorded flow rates of 80 barrels of oil per day and 47 thousand cubic feet of gas per day during a 16 hour main flow period. No appreciable volumes of water were observed.  The oil is of good quality with a gravity of 39-40° API.

On 19 February 2015, shareholders were updated on the successful Wingfield Flags Flow Test, which recorded flow rates of up to 182 barrels of oil per day of good quality 39-40 API oil on free flow, along with up to 456 thousand cubic feet of gas per day.

On 27 February 2015, shareholders were updated on the initial successful Penistone Flags test, which produced gas at facilities-restricted flowrates of up to 1.7 million cubic feet of gas per day with associated oil of up to 12 barrels of oil per day and no free water.

On 27 March 2015, shareholders were updated on the second successful Penistone Flags test.   Zone 3a in the Penistone Flags was perforated over a 7.5 metre interval and produced good quality oil with a gravity of 33^o API.  A total of 98.5 barrels of oil were recovered during the test (of which flow induced by swabbing operations produced 34.3 barrels of oil).  This equates to a rate of approximately 77 barrels of oil per day (bopd).

During the current EWT the Zone 3A perforations were produced for a total of 254hrs over a 13 day period from the 5th to 17th Jul'15. Zone 3A was initially produced by sucker rod pump and then allowed to free flow to surface after the wellbore & perforations had fully cleaned-up. Over the full 13 day period the following separator cumulative volumes were produced:- 1,127 bbl of oil, 147 bbl of kill brine and 2,790 Mscf of gas.

Operations at the Wressle site will not involve the process of high volume hydraulic 'fracturing (fracking') for shale gas.

Egdon Resources plc (LSE: EDR) is an established UK-based exploration and production company primarily focused on onshore exploration and production in the hydrocarbon-producing basins of the UK and France. 

Egdon currently holds interests in thirty four licences in the UK and France and has an active programme of exploration, appraisal and development within its balanced portfolio of oil and gas assets.  Egdon is an approved operator in both the UK and France.

Egdon was formed in 1997 and listed on AIM in December 2004.

In accordance with the AIM Rules - Note for Mining and Oil and Gas Companies, the information contained in this announcement has been reviewed and signed off by the Managing Director of Egdon Resources plc Mark Abbott, a Geoscientist with over 26 years' experience.

Evaluation of potential recoverable hydrocarbons has been assessed in accordance with 2007 Petroleum Resources Management System prepared by the Oil and Gas Reserves Committee of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and reviewed and jointly sponsored by the World Petroleum Council (WPC), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE).

 

END

 

 

MSCPKQDDOBKKACK