Drilling of new oil well MLJ2-06 begins this week
Thursday, August 2, 2007
THE government of Brunei and Total E&P Borneo BV will begin drilling a new oil well 50km off the Borneo island this week, The Brunei Times learned.
The Maersk Completer Maharaja Lela Jamalulalam (MLJ2-06) drilling well is about 25km from Champion oil field, where Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd reported the start of a third phase of oil production last year, as reported in the Oil & Gas Journal.
There is no forecast on production figures yet but the project is estimated to cost $450,000 a day for about 140 days of drilling, according to Total's general manager Louis Heuze.
Minister of Energy Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar earlier said that this endeavour could be "one of the most challenging" drilling projects in Southeast Asia because of high temperatures and environmental controls.
The MLJ2-06 well poses formidable challenges for the drilling company as it is deeper and has greater pressure than Total's other wells.
Total's drilling manager Yannick Marcillat said this oil well has an extremely high pressure of 17, 000 psi.
"Besides, it is hotter at 170 C. So it is a bit complicated when we run electronic equipment as the temperature is very high for the equipment," the Oil & Gas Journal quoted drilling manager Marcillat as saying.
Total E&P Borneo worked with rig contractor Maersk to prepare the Maersk Completer jack up rig.
The drilling will start after the crew positions the Singapore made rig, said Marcillat.
He added that the rig is under a one-year contract, with 170 days scheduled for the MLJ2-06 well and the remainder for other projects in the region. The exploration would go as deep as 6,700m.
Total E&P Borneo BV, previously known as TotalFinaElf after Elf Aquintaine, merged with TotalFina, has been active in petroleum exploration in Brunei since 1986.
The company has operations in about 130 countries, exploration and production in 42, and production in 30.
Total E&P Borneo BV is considered the world's fourth-largest integrated listed oil and gas company.
Currently, Total has nine wells in Brunei Darussalam since 1999.
The Brunei Times
The Maersk Completer Maharaja Lela Jamalulalam (MLJ2-06) drilling well is about 25km from Champion oil field, where Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd reported the start of a third phase of oil production last year, as reported in the Oil & Gas Journal.
There is no forecast on production figures yet but the project is estimated to cost $450,000 a day for about 140 days of drilling, according to Total's general manager Louis Heuze.
Minister of Energy Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar earlier said that this endeavour could be "one of the most challenging" drilling projects in Southeast Asia because of high temperatures and environmental controls.
The MLJ2-06 well poses formidable challenges for the drilling company as it is deeper and has greater pressure than Total's other wells.
Total's drilling manager Yannick Marcillat said this oil well has an extremely high pressure of 17, 000 psi.
"Besides, it is hotter at 170 C. So it is a bit complicated when we run electronic equipment as the temperature is very high for the equipment," the Oil & Gas Journal quoted drilling manager Marcillat as saying.
Total E&P Borneo worked with rig contractor Maersk to prepare the Maersk Completer jack up rig.
The drilling will start after the crew positions the Singapore made rig, said Marcillat.
He added that the rig is under a one-year contract, with 170 days scheduled for the MLJ2-06 well and the remainder for other projects in the region. The exploration would go as deep as 6,700m.
Total E&P Borneo BV, previously known as TotalFinaElf after Elf Aquintaine, merged with TotalFina, has been active in petroleum exploration in Brunei since 1986.
The company has operations in about 130 countries, exploration and production in 42, and production in 30.
Total E&P Borneo BV is considered the world's fourth-largest integrated listed oil and gas company.
Currently, Total has nine wells in Brunei Darussalam since 1999.
The Brunei Times
Business Besides Oil
