Sound Flares at Old Moroccan Well

UK-listed explorer Sound Energy said July 5 it has re-entered and flared gas from the old Koba-1 well at Sidi Moktar, onshore central Morocco, as part of its testing programme to see if exploration wells drilled by previous operators can produce commercially.

The well, drilled at the crest of the Kechoula discovery,  is close to existing infrastructure and gas demand including the large scale Moroccan state-owned OCP plant that mines phosphates for fertilisers. The rig will be released and likely return to its licences in eastern Morocco.

Sound said that a 5-metre interval was perforated in the Argovian reservoir at a measured depth of 1,406 metres where the static pressure was measured at 98 bar, confirming a producible gas accumulation. It has now temporarily suspended the well in preparation for a rigless extended well test – after which it hopes to move rapidly to production. But it said that, due to poor quality cement bonding in the well, and likely the nearby Kamar-1 well, that it no longer intends to immediately re-enter the latter which it will now evaluate at a later date together with the deeper pre-salt.

"We are delighted by this early success at the Kechoula discovery and look forward to both the extended well test," said Sound CEO James Parsons.

The company believes the Sidi Moktar licences – between the Atlantic coast and Marrakesh – also contain significant pre-salt potential. It notes the quantitive assessment by a previous operator in 1998 which referred to exploration potential of the Sidi Moktar licences of up to 9 trillion ft³ unrisked gas originally in place (gross) in the TAGI and Paleozoic layers.  

Mark Smedley