KUALA LUMPUR – Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has via its subsidiary, Petronas Suriname E&P B.V. (PSEPBV), has made its first hydrocarbon discovery in Suriname with the successful drilling of the Sloanea-1 exploration well located in Block 52.
PSEPBV is the operator of Block 52 and holds a 50% participating interest, together with ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Suriname B.V. which holds the remaining 50%.
“We are pleased with the positive results of the well. It will provide the drive for Petronas to continue exploring in Suriname, which is one of our focus basins in the Americas.
“We look forward to further successful collaboration with our partner ExxonMobil and further strengthen our relationship with the government of the Republic of Suriname, as a solutions partner, progressing towards delivering clean and reliable energy to the market,” said Petronas vice president of exploration, upstream, Emeliana Rice-Oxley in a statement.
Block 52, which covers an area of 4,749 sq km, is located north of the coast of Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital city and is situated within the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin, where several major hydrocarbon discoveries have been made.
The Sloanea-1 exploration well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 4,780m using the Maersk Developer rig. The well encountered several hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone packages with good reservoir qualities in the Campanian section.
Rice-Oxley said that the well data proved excellent calibration of the hydrocarbon potential of the block, and further evaluation is being undertaken to determine the full extent of the discovery.
In addition to Block 52, PSEPBV also holds a 100% participating interest and operatorship in Block 48 and a 30% non-operated participating interest in Block 53. – Bernama, December 11, 2020
