Eni Completes 2017 Mexican Drilling

Italian Eni has completed its 2017 drilling campaign in the Campeche Bay offshore Mexico, with another successful well, Tecoalli 2, it said December 12. The effect is to raise estimates of the hydrocarbons in place in Area 1 by a third and first oil could start to flow in the first half of 2019, it said.

"Thanks to the results of this well and the revision of the reservoir models of the Amoca and Mizton fields, the hydrocarbon in place estimate for Area 1 is boosted from 1.4 to 2.0bn boe," Eni said. About a tenth of the total is gas.

The Tecoalli 2 well went deep to 4,420 metres, encountering about 40 m of net oil pay in the Orca formation with very good quality sandstone reservoirs. The well was then deepened to the Cinco Presidentes formation exploratory target, finding further 27 m of net oil pay. A production test will now be executed and then the well will be temporarily abandoned, it said.

The Tecoalli field is 24 km from the Amoca field and 13 km from the Mizton field. Eni will shortly submit the field development plan for Area 1 for the approval of the upstream regulator, CNH, and then Eni will sanction the development (FID), with production startup planned in first half 2019. 

Eni holds rights in four exploration and production blocks in the Sureste Basin, all as operator, and has 100% of Area 1.