TransGlobe has said that oil was recovered on test from Safwa NW-1, its exploration well in the East Ghazalat concession in the western desert of Egypt. Wire line logs across the lower Bahariya formation confirmed approximately 30ft of net, producible oil-bearing reservoir with an average porosity exceeding 20%.
A 14ft interval was perforated and tested at a rate of 250 barrels of light, 34 degrees API oil per day. The well is currently suspended awaiting a full test, the company said.
The Safwa NW-1 well is located 2.5km to the northwest of the Safwa #1 discovery well, which tested 300 barrels of oil per day from the same formation. Safwa NW-1 was the fourth well and the second discovery in the exploration drilling program conducted by operator Vegas Oil & Gas (Vegas) in partnership with TransGlobe.
A fifth well located approximately 1.7km northeast of Safwa NW-1 is expected to spud in June to further appraise the Safwa structure. Fracture stimulation to increase oil production rates from the Bahariya Formation is also being investigated.
The 858sqkm East Ghazalat concession is located in the prolific Abu Gharadiq basin of Egypt’s western desert, approximately 250km west of Cairo. East Ghazalat was awarded to Vegas on June 5, 2007 and is currently in the first, three-year exploration period which ends in early June 2010.
