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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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