BARRYROE LICENSING OPTION 08/1
Licensing option 08/1 ("Barryroe") incorporates part blocks 48/22, 48/23, 48/24, 48/27, 48/28, 48/29, 48/30 covering an area of 291 sq km along the axis of the North Celtic Sea Basin.
The Barryroe Licensing Option ("Barryroe") is held by Lansdowne (40 per cent), Island Oil & Gas plc ("Island") (30 per cent) and Providence Resources plc ("Providence") (30 per cent). Part of the Barryroe acreage lies beneath the Seven Heads Gas Field, with the boundary between the two concessions lying at 4,000ft (approximately 1,250m) sub-sea.
Three previous wells tested oil in the Barryroe Licence acreage which lies directly below the Marathon operated Seven Heads Gas Field. The reservoir sands are in the Cretaceous Middle and Lower Wealden sequences between 1,400m and 2,300m (approximately 4,600 to 7,550ft) below sea level.
Two wells drilled by Esso in 1973/1974 tested oil. Well 48/24-1 from Middle Wealden sands at an aggregate rate of 1300 barrels per day and 48/28-1 tested oil from a Middle Wealden sand at 1527 barrels per day. A third well, 48/24-3 drilled by Marathon in 1990, tested oil from Lower Wealden sands at an aggregate rate of 1619 barrels per day.
- Oil tested was light crude (30 to 42 API, with a high wax content ranging from 12 to 22 per cent)
- Potential development synergies with other Celtic Sea projects are being reviewed by the Group
- In the western part of the Barryroe Licence acreage, situated to the west of the producing Seven Heads Gas Field, the shallower section above 4000ft sub-sea is also included in the Licensing Option and this is considered to be prospective for gas
From the previous technical work carried out, the two main challenges to commercial development have been identified as the reservoir continuity and the high pour point of the oil caused by the high wax content.
The work programme for the new Licensing Option will focus upon these challenges and the potential synergies in reviewing development options in parallel with other established oil accumulations in the Celtic Sea.