Suriname Drilling Pays Off for Petronas and Exxon

Petronas Suriname E&P BV (PSEPBV) has made its first hydrocarbon discovery in Suriname, Petronas reported on the 11th December.

 

Located in Block 52 offshore the South American country, the PSEPBV-operated Sloanea-1 exploration well in Block 52 encountered several hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone zones with good reservoir qualities in the Campanian section, Petronas noted in a written statement.

 

The Maersk Developer semi-submersible rig drilled the Suriname-Guyana basin well to a total depth of 15,682 feet (4,780 metres), added the operator.

 

“We are pleased with the positive results of the well,” commented Emeliana Rice-Oxley, Petronas’ vice president of upstream, exploration.

 

“It will provide the drive for Petronas to continue exploring in Suriname, which is one of our focus basins in the Americas We look forward to further successful collaboration with our partner ExxonMobil and further strengthen our relationship with the government of the Republic of Suriname, as a solutions partner, progressing towards delivering clean and reliable energy to the market.”

 

PSEPBV holds 50-percent participating interest in Block 52, with ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Suriname BV owning the remainder.

 

Petronas stated that further evaluation is underway to determine the discovery’s full extent. Separately, ExxonMobil pointed out the block encompasses 1.2 million acres (4,749 square kilometres) with water depths ranging from 160 to 3,600 feet (50 to 1,100 metres).

 

“Our first discovery in Suriname extends ExxonMobil’s leading position in South America, building on our successful investments in Guyana,” commented Mike Cousins, ExxonMobil’s senior vice president of exploration and new ventures.

 

“We will continue to leverage our deep-water expertise and advanced technology to explore frontier environments with the highest value resource potential.”

 

Rigzone reported on the 2nd July 2020, that PSEPBV secured the Maersk Developer under a US$20.4 million contract which includes a one-well option.

 

Source: Rigzone