The Saasken discovery is estimated to hold between 200 and 300 million barrels of oil in place
Eni discovers oil offshore Mexico. (Credit: Kristina Kasputienė from Pixabay)
Italian oil and gas firm Eni and its partners have made new oil discovery on the Saasken exploration prospect in Block 10, located in Cuenca Salina in the Sureste basin offshore Mexico.
The oil was encountered following the drilling of the Saasken-1 NFW well, the sixth consecutive well drilled in the Sureste Basin.
As per the company’s preliminary estimates, the Saasken discovery holds between 200 and 300 million barrels of oil in place.
Saasken-1 NFW well was drilled to a total depth of 3,830m
Located approximately 65km off the coast, the Saasken-1 NFW well was drilled using the Valaris 8505 Semisub in a water depth of 340m. The well reached a total depth of 3,830m.
Following drilling, the well has encountered 80m of net pay of good quality oil in the Lower Pliocene and Upper Miocene sequences.
Eni noted that the intensive data collected had indicated the well’s production capacity to be more than 10,000 barrels of oil per day.
The firm said in a statement: “The discovery is opening a potential commercial outcome of Block 10 since several other prospects located nearby may be clustered in a synergic development.”
The Block 10 Joint Venture comprises Eni as the operator with a 65% stake, Lukoil (20%) and Capricorn (15%).
The joint venture is planning to appraise the latest discovery and further exploit nearby synergies in order to commence studies for commercial development.
In the first half of 2021, Eni is planning to increase its production plateau to 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) from current approximately 15,000boed from Area 1 in the Gulf of Mexico located 200km west of Ciudad del Carmen.
The Italian firm, which holds rights in eight exploration and production blocks in the Gulf of Mexico, is planning to undertake an exploration campaign in the other licenses in Mexico.
Recently, Eni announced the discovery of gas and condensate in the Mahani exploration field onshore Sharjah in the UAE.