OOCEP to Spud Pilot Well in Oman's Block 65

Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production (OOCEP) will soon spud a pilot well in Block 65 in north Oman, reported Oman Observer Tuesday.

OOCEP, a subsidiary of Oman Oil Company, signed an agreement with oil ministry last May to study the prospectivity of unconventional resources in the block. The pilot well is part of that agreement.

Block 65 covers an area of 1,230 sq km and is surrounded by major oil and gas fields.

OOPEC reached a milestone earlier this year. In January, the company announced the commencement of commercial export of Block 60 tight gas & condensate from the Abu Tabul field. The Abu Butabul gas processing plant was commissioned on September 23, 2014, while production and export of gas started in November 2014. The state-of-the-art processing plant is expected to have a plateau production of 70 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) by the end of this year. Along with gas, the facility will also produce condensates averaging 6,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Oman Oil and BP are also developing Khazzan tight gas project in Oman’s Block 61. The project is 65 percent complete, BP, which is the operator of Block 61, said earlier this week.