The Sonatrach group successfully completed, on March 22, West Oglet En Nasser-2 (WOEN-2) delineation well in the Touggourt East I perimeter (North of the Hassi Messaoud field), and also tested with success, during the same month, the Ouled Sidi Cheikh-1 (OSC-1) exploration well in the El Ouabed perimeter, in the wilaya of El Bayadh (west of Hassi R’Mel).
The WOEN-2 delineation well, located about twenty kilometers away from the Rhourde El Amar processing facilities, confirmed the northward extension of the reserves in place of the Oglet En Nasser crude oil deposit, discovered in the reservoirs in the Lower Series Triassic and Ordovician Grés d’Ouargla, the group said in a statement on Tuesday.
This well confirmed useful heights of 15 and 13 meters respectively in the Triassic and Ordovician.
The production test carried out with the main objective of the triassic produced oil and associated gas with flow rates of 5,094 barrels/day of oil and 185,582 m3/day of gas, according to the press release.
The estimated volumes of crude in place (proven+probable), before the drilling of the WOEN-2 delineation well, were estimated at 546 million barrels.
The positive result of this well allowed a reassessment of these volumes to 961 million barrels, with a contribution brought back by the WOEN-2 delineation well, estimated at 415 million barrels.
In addition to the Triassic, which is a developed objective in this region, the Ordovician reservoir is considered an emerging oil zone and is currently the subject of numerous studies and major exploration efforts to assess its potential.
Sonatrach, with this discovery, confirms the great oil potential of the Touggourt region and intends to accelerate the development of this pole to increase national production.
On the other hand, Sonatrach also announced “to have successfully tested during this month of March, the Ouled Sidi Cheikh-1 (OSC-1) exploration well in the El Ouabed perimeter, located in the wilaya of El Bayadh in about 158 km west of Hassi R’Mel”.
The OSC-1 exploration well has “highlighted a discovery of crude oil and associated gas in the Lias carbonate reservoir”.
The production test carried out in this reservoir yielded crude oil and associated gas with flow rates of 925 barrels/day of oil and 6,456 m3/day of gas.
The results of this well “enhance the oil potential of the Sillon de Benoudet which will eventually allow the emergence, north of Hassi R’Mel, of a new hydrocarbon pole, which will be confirmed by the drilling of numerous prospects and leads mapped in this region as well as the work of delineation of the discoveries made to specify the volume of the reserves”, underlines the same source.
