Drilling Resumes at East Javas Sukowati Oil Well

Drilling Resumes at East Javas Sukowati Oil Well

Thursday, August 10th 2006

The drilling of the Sukowati-5 oil well at Capurejo village in East Java’s Bojonegoro district in Indonesia has resumed after suspension for several days following the flare-up of a burning gas-kick on July 29, 2006, according to local reports Tuesday.

The intentional burning of hydrogen sulfide gas coming up from the drilling location by the joint operating body (JOB) of Pertamina and PetroChina East Java flared up into a big fireball, which endangered the surrounding areas.

After extinguishing the fire, the operator burned the H2S gas little by little, and at present the gas has been entirely brined up, so the drilling of the exploration well can be continued, Djoko Agus, head of the JOB security team, said.

Agus disclosed that in the drilling of Sukowati 1, 2, and 3 exploration wells, oil reserves were discovered at a depth of 3 km. So, he predicted that oil reserves in the Sukowati-5 well at a depth of about 3 km will not be much different from the three Sukowati oil wells that have been productive.

Before the explosion of the gas-kick, the drilling of the Sukowati-5 exploration well had reached a depth of 6,804 feet. Presently, the safety layer has been put up to the depth of 6,906. As a result, the safety condition of the well is quite good, said Suyatmo, JOB drilling operation superintendent.

The gas-kick broke out at a depth of 6,143 feet with a blowing strength of 1,500 parts per million (ppm). To anticipate excessive gas pressure, JOB technicians have covered the well with a 30 ton-weight blow-out prevention device, which can resist gas pressure up to 15,000 ppm, he explained.

(C) 2006 Asia Pulse Pte Ltd.

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