Noble Energy will drill an appraisal well in block 12 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone after the first half of June, with the process lasting up to three months, J. Keith Elliott, Noble Energy’s Vice President for the Eastern Mediterranean region said. He noted that another well might be necessary to establish a clear picture about the size of the resource.

During an interview, on the sidelines of the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference, in Houston, Texas, Elliot said he was satisfied with the working relationship established with the Cyprus government, adding that he did not believe things were progressing too slowly. Elliott has recently (last April) assumed his new duties, following an overhaul in Noble’s organisational structure, that added three major operating regions, including the Eastern Mediterranean.

Elliott said that as soon as the exploration well in Israel’s “Karish” field is finished, Noble will move the rig directly to Cyprus’ block 12 for the appraisal well. He added that the well in Israel is expected to finish in the first half of June, while drilling in block 12 will take up to three months. He noted that a lot depends on that operation, since “the purpose of the appraisal well is to try to narrow that bandwidth of uncertainty” with regards to the reservoir models and interpretations.

Elliott did not exclude another appraisal drilling in block 12, saying that “for a resource of this size and scale, two would be a very optimistic number”. He cited the example of Israel’s “Tamar” field, where Noble drilled two appraisal wells. “I wouldn’t want to leave anyone with the impression that this would be the last well”, he said, adding that if the company is able to build confidence in the resource base and size, this will result in fewer wells. Noble’s Vice President for the Eastern Mediterranean compared the company’s job to evaluate the resource through seismic data and drills, almost as “looking through an opaque screen”. “Our objective is to understand the resource,” he said, noting that this may take more wells. Cooperation with the government “fantastic”.

Published by: www.cna.org.cy