The Kawa-1 exploration well, located on the Corentyne block offshore Guyana, has been spud, using the Maersk Discoverer semi-submersible rig.
The Kawa-1 well is located on the Corentyne Block where CGX Energy is the operator and Frontera Energy is its partner. CGX Energy is a Frontera majority-owned subsidiary and its joint venture partner in the Demerara and Corentyne blocks.
The Kawa-1 well is located in the northeast quadrant of the Corentyne block, approximately 200 kilometres offshore from Georgetown, Guyana. The water depth is approximately 355 meters and the expected total depth of the Kawa-1 well is 6,685 meters.
The spud window was scheduled in July to occur between 1-15 August and the well was now spud with a short delay on 22 August.
Additionally, the Joint Venture has exercised its option to drill a second well with Maersk Drilling through the use of the Maersk Discoverer rig , Frontera said on Monday.
Gabriel de Alba , Chairman of Frontera’s Board of Directors and Co-Chair of CGX’s Board of Directors, commented: “The Joint Venture has spud the Kawa-1 well, which we believe is one of the most exciting exploration wells in the world.
“The Joint Venture has also exercised its option to drill a second well offshore Guyana under similar terms and conditions”.
The Joint Venture expects the Kawa-1 well to reach total depth in the first half of December 2021.
Frontera said that the Kawa-1 well targets light oil in combination with structural-stratigraphic traps in large Santonian and Campanian slope fan complexes. The primary target is Santonian sand with updip and lateral pinch out of the reservoir, as well as counter-regional dip and structural closure.
The Kawa-1 well is also expected to penetrate secondary objectives in shallower Campanian sand and deeper Santonian sand with the expectation of targeting additional hydrocarbon potential. The stacked targets in Kawa-1 are considered analogous to the discoveries immediately adjacent to the Corentyne Block, in Block 58 in Suriname , where TotalEnergies has recently made its fifth offshore discovery.
Additionally, the Kawa-1 well is expected to de-risk multiple other prospects on the block which also have stacked reservoirs and similar structural geometries. The proximity of the Corentyne block to the Cretaceous Berbice Canyon sediment source is interpreted to have concentrated sandstone reservoirs in the North Corentyne area. Channelized, stacked internal fan geometries evident on 3D seismic are indicative of thick, stacked, coarser-grained sand reservoirs.
As part of the agreement between CGX Resources and Maersk, previously announced on 22 April 2021 , CGX has exercised its contractual right to use the Maersk Discoverer to drill an additional well.
The decision by the Joint Venture to exercise the option is an important step in maintaining continuity in the exploration program during a period of high demand in the region and consistency in working with a team familiar with the rig.
Frontera noted that the decision on the specific timing of the second well will be decided in the upcoming months to capitalize on the Joint Venture’s rich set of exploration opportunities.