‘Big
oil structures offshore’
By
Curtis Williams
The
Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworld.com 07 23 06
All
of the world’s major oil and gas companies
are interested in the Trinidad deep-water blocks,
according to Helena Innis-King, director of resource
management at the Ministry of Energy and Energy
Industries.
Innis-King
said there has been keen interest by the majors
in these blocks even though no commercial find has
ever been made in the deep waters off Trinidad.
“All
of the majors—Shell, Chevron, British Gas,
Kerr-McGee and Repsol—have expressed interest.
In addition several large independents have also
expressed an interest.”
However,
she admitted that the ministry has not had any consultation
with bpTT on the blocks.
“BpTT
has not told us of any interest they may have in
the Trinidad deep-water blocks, but the reality
is that they have the data since they were part
of the consortium which commissioned the seismic
survey over the blocks. If they are interested they
can come in later and bid on the blocks.”
BpTT
is the largest holder of offshore acreage in T&T
and the country’s largest producer of natural
gas.
It
did not participate in the last bid round and has
announced that it wants to concentrate on its gas
business.
Last
year, bpTT sold its Teak, Samaan and Poui fields
to its partner Repsol, the National Gas Company
Ltd and Petrotrin.
The
director of resource management revealed that the
bid order for the deep-water blocks were quietly
published in early June and that the round will
be closed on October 30.
Eight
blocks will be offered in this bid round with the
water depths ranging from 1,700 to 2,500 metres.
Innis-King
said in 2003 2D seismic was shot on the Trinidad
Deep Atlantic Area with 12 companies paying for
the work.
The
director of resource management said the area is
truly frontier.
“Wells
have never before been drilled this far off the
continental shelf. It is frontier drilling in fairly
deep waters but it is where we expect to make significant
discoveries.”
Innis-King
said while there have never been any wells drilled
so far off the continental shelf, other companies
have explored in fairly deep waters even though
they have had moderate success.
“I
believe there have been in the vicinity of eight
wells drilled in fairly deep water and while there
has not been a commercial discovery, there has certainly
been interesting information coming out. The closest
anyone came to a discovery is Shell which found
some gas in their Haydn 1 well but it was not commercial.”
She
said all over the world it is in the deep waters
that major new oil finds are being made and she
felt there will be no difference in a mature oil
province like T&T.
“We
believe that there is lot of oil and gas out there.
We believe that there are big structures out there
and it is simply an issue of finding them.”
The
energy technocrat said the Trinidad Atlantic Deep
is prospective and she expects that finds in the
order of 100,000 barrels a day and above will be
made.
“Those
are the kinds of finds which will have to be made
for the blocks to be produced and we are confident
that there are massive structures out there waiting
to be discovered.”
The
Trinidad Guardian
Thursday 13th July 2006
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©2006 Trinidad Guardian All Rights Reserved.
