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Exploration
- Three Drill-Ready ProspectsCortina and Wengen and Verbier Deep exploration prospects all lie within the GBA licences, ~12km from the planned GBA infrastructure
- Material Prospective ResourcesIn aggregate the exploration targets contain estimated mid case gross prospective resources of approximately 138 MMboe
Cortina
The Cortina NE (J64) prospect forms part of the “Cortina cluster” of prospects that are located immediately to the north east of the Buchan oil field. Cortina is mapped at Upper Jurassic, Kimmeridge Clay Formation (J64) Burns Sandstone Member stratigraphic level and is identified by a distinctive amplitude anomaly, similar to the seismic expression of the Tweedsmuir field reservoir. It is thought the reservoir has been eroded from the adjacent Buchan High and deposited in the Cortina prospect area. The trap is formed by up dip stratigraphic pinch out to the south west toward the Buchan High whilst top, bottom and down dip lateral seal are provided by the Kimmeridge Clay which also provides the hydrocarbon charge. Cortina NE (J64) appears to represent a compensational stacking of three overlying reservoirs that together demonstrate differential compaction on the seismic. The principal risk associated with Cortina is thought to be top seal, where the potential presence of younger and partly overlying “thief zones“ might result in the leaking of hydrocarbon.
Wengen
The Wengen prospect is located to the immediate west of the Tweedsmuir oil field and is identified as an amplitude anomaly on the recent PGS seismic volume, which is not evident on legacy seismic volumes, at the Upper Jurassic, Kimmeridge Clay Formation (J64) Burns Sandstone Member stratigraphic level. The reservoir in Wengen is mapped as being older than the Tweedsmuir reservoir (J65-J66). Seismically, a similar response to the Tweedsmuir sandstone can be observed on the Wengen prospect, although it is dimmer, which could be due to a better reservoir quality as similarly observed with the Verbier discovery (well 20/05b-13Z) sandstone (J64), or a thinner and seismically tuned sand layer. Wengen is a structural-stratigraphic trap with up dip pinch out of reservoir to the west, east and south and constrained structurally by a fault up dip to the north. The Kimmeridge Clay provides the top, bottom and lateral seal and also the hydrocarbon charge. The reservoir is thought to have been derived from structural highs located to the north and north east. The principal risk associated with Wengen is thought to be the effectiveness of the lateral seal, with possibility of hydrocarbons leaking up dip to Tweedsmuir via sub-seismic faults.
Verbier Deep
The Verbier Deep prospect is mapped as an elongated arcuate feature located underneath the Verbier West oil discovery (well 20/05b-13Z) at Upper Jurassic, Sgiath Formation (J52) stratigraphic level. The top Sgiath sandstone is represented by a seismic amplitude response just above the Pentland Formation (coal) and is seismically analogous to J2 (well 20/05a-10Y) oil discovery. The trap is formed by dip closure to the east with up dip stratigraphic pinchout to the west where the sand thickness is beyond seismic resolution. The Kimmeridge Clay provides the top, and lateral seal whilst Pentland Formation Coal forms the base of the sandstone. The prospect is charged by the Kimmeridge Clay in the North Buchan Graben. The principal risk with the prospect is thought to be the up dip lateral seal.