Cairn Energy PLC (LON:CNE) reports its ninth successful well in Senegal in three years, with the SNE-6 appraisal well yielding more positive results.
The SNE-6 well was designed to confirm connectivity with the reservoir in previously drilled SNE-5 well some 1.6 kilometres away, and the well was tested for oil flows – and both objectives were confirmed.
Two tests were undertaken. The first saw SNE-6 flow a maximum rate of 4,600 barrels of oil per day from an 11 metre interval (with 3,700 bopd coming over 48 hours under a 52/64" choke) and the second flowed a maximum rate of 5,400 from another 12 metre zone (flowing 4,700 bopd over 24 hours on a 64/64" choke).
Data from the latest well will be built into Cairn’s reservoir modelling for the SNE project, and for the ongoing field development planning work.
Simon Thomson, Cairn chief executive, said: "This is our ninth successful well in Senegal in three years.
“The results from this latest well together with SNE-5 and VR-1 provide essential data as we move towards submitting a development plan for the SNE field to the Government of Senegal in 2018.
“Operations now move to FAN SOUTH as we continue to test significant further prospectivity in the extensive acreage position.”
The FAN SOUTH project is an exploration prospect, located some 20 kilometres south of SNE, where Cairn will be testing a possible 110mln barrels of oil across two prospects – an Upper Cretaceous turbidite fan prospect and a Lower Cretaceous turbidite fan.