T HE British company, Enterprise Oil plc has discovered natural gas and oil
condensate as a result of its first test well in Cambodian waters south of
Sihanoukville.
In a statement released on Apr 14 after three months of
drilling, the firm said that "its most successful test produced a maximum flow
rate of 4.7 million cubic feet per day of gas and 180 barrels per day of
condensate."
Enterprise's General Manager for Cambodia Barry Rogers said the company was
"very encouraged" by the find but cautioned against expectations that Cambodia
would benefit immediately from the news of Enterprise's discovery of petroleum
reserves offshore.
"The flow rates from this one test are subcommercial,"
said Rogers, "but we've gained knowledge which tells us that the geology in the
region is a working hydrocarbon generative system." Rogers noted that a typical
production well would need to produce about 30 million cubic feet of gas per day
to be potentially commercially viable.
Rogers said that based on the
success of Enterprise's first test well, it was very likely that additional
seismic surveys would be undertaken.
"What we need to understand is the
distribution of the resevoir," said Rogers. He added that oil or gas production
was "a long term process" while citing the example of gas wells in the Gulf of
Thailand where there was a period of ten years between when gas was first
discovered and production actually began.
"It's unrealistic to expect to
see any production for perhaps five years," said Rogers referring to
Enterprise's lease of offshore Blocks I and II which cover about 5,000 square
kms of the Gulf of Thailand each.
Enterprise Oil has a 40 per cent
operating interest in the offshore Cambodia drilling concession.
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