Premier Oil has announced that the Cyclone well in UK block 21/7 has reached a total depth of 6,076 feet and is being plugged and abandoned.
The well, drilled by the WilPhoenix semi-submersible rig, encountered 105 feet of Palaeocene Cromarty sands but the well logs identified only residual oil. This suggests that the trap, which was identified as the critical risk factor pre-drill, leaked.
In 2012, Premier drilled five exploration wells targeting Tertiary sands in the UK Central North Sea. This resulted in the success at Carnaby, within the greater Catcher Area. Premier’s Tertiary prospect drilling in the UK will now concentrate on the greater Catcher Area, with Bonneville planned to spud in March 2013.
Premier’s higher impact exploration programme in the North Sea focuses on deeper Mesozoic plays with the Luno II and Lacewing prospects expected to spud in the first quarter of 2013.
[mappress] December 6, 2012