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| W I R E L I N E

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SUMMER 2017

W

hen Hurricane Energy

confirmed inMarch that its Halifax well

was indeed an oil discovery, the prospect

of amajor new development on the west

of Shetland captured the industry’s

imagination.

Initial results from the latest drilling

programme indicate there is a “very

significant” hydrocarbon column of at

least 1,156metres within the fractured

basement reservoir at Halifax. The data

also suggest that Halifax and Lancaster

– which itself has estimated recoverable

reserves of almost 600million barrels –

are one linked structure, representing

potentially the largest undeveloped

discovery on the UK Continental Shelf

(UKCS).

“The fact that Halifax has an extensive

column and that we cannot map a barrier

between Lancaster and Halifax, gives us

the belief that it’s a single accumulation,”

says CEODr Robert Trice. “Of course,

further appraisal will be needed to

confirmour model, and a top priority

will be to demonstrate commercial flow

at Halifax and pressure communication

between Halifax and Lancaster.

“Even if they are different fields, we have

a whacking great big oil column at Halifax

and the same at Lancaster. There’s no

obvious downside.”

In uncertain times, this has generated

a welcome wave of industry optimism,

with the potential for more good news

fromHurricane’s nearby Lincoln and

Hurricane Energy has the wind in its sails after making a high profile

– and potentially game-changing – breakthrough in its exploration and

appraisal programme west of Shetland.

Wireline

met chief executive Dr Robert Trice to find out why

he believes this could be highly significant for the UK Continental Shelf.

HURRICANE

Warwick prospects. The former was the

subject of successful exploration drilling

in late 2016, the latter is as-yet undrilled.

Pioneeringprojects

For Robert, however, there’s an even

bigger story that extends beyond the

west of Shetland to a potential

game-changer in the UKCS story.

The latest drilling results vindicate his

long-held conviction that fractured

basement reservoirs represent a largely

untapped opportunity. From the

outset, Hurricane has been a pioneer in

its focus on this distinctive geological

occurrence typically found under softer

sedimentary sandstone.

“Inmy view, our results support the

argument that fractured basement is

– a force to be

reckoned with

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