Drilling of the exploratory well took place about 50km offshore of Hidaka area of Hokkaido, in water depth of around 1,070m
Production test of natural gas carried out by JAPEX (Photo: courtesy of Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd)
Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) has wrapped up an exploratory drilling campaign at the offshore Hidaka area of the Japanese island Hokkaido, which indicated the presence of natural gas.
The exploratory drilling at the Hidaka area began in April 2019 with the Valaris 8504 (formerly called ENSCO 8504) sea drilling rig supplied by Valaris (formerly Ensco Rowan).
Japex said that the well was drilled safely to a depth of nearly 2,530m below the seabed. Drilling of the well took place about 50km offshore Hidaka area of Hokkaido, in a water depth of around 1,070 meters.
The company said that various geological data collected through the operations, and a production test carried out against the gas reservoir indicated the existence of natural gas existence. The well achieved stable gas production, said JAPEX.
Further plans of JAPEX
The Japanese oil and gas company will carry out analysis and assessment of the data obtained, and will further review the possibility of exploration opportunity in the area.
The exploratory drilling campaign is part of the offshore exploration project commissioned by Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (ANRE). The offshore exploration project aims to evaluate the existence of crude oil and natural gas in the designated region.
Earlier this year, JAPEX achieved commercial production of natural gas from the Sirasun and Batur gas fields offshore Indonesia. The two offshore Indonesian gas fields are part of the TSB gas complex in the Kangean block.
The Japanese company is engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in Japan and overseas. The company is also involved in infrastructure and utility business.
In March 2019, JAPEX and its partners Neptune Energy and BP took a final investment decision on the Seagull oil project in the UK North Sea. The Japanese company, which has a stake of 15% in the offshore oil project expects the Seagull oil field to begin production by the end of 2021.