Chevron Corporation announced in September that it successfully completed a record setting production test in the Gulf of Mexico, which may herald explotation of the largest field in the United States.
The Jack well was completed and tested in 7,000 feet of water, and more than 20,000 feet under the sea floor, breaking Chevron’s 2004 Tahiti well test record as the deepest successful well test in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Jack #2 well was drilled to a total depth of 28,175 feet.
The flow test indicates that the region’s finds will probably be productive, according to David Heikkinen, an analyst with Houston-based energy research firm Pickering Energy Partners.
“That bodes very well for the industry as a whole,” he said.
Production from the area could add 300,000 to 500,000 barrels of oil a day to U.S. output, Heikkinen said.
The Gulf currently has a production capacity of about 1.5 million.
The test was conducted during the second quarter of 2006 and was designed to evaluate a portion of the total pay interval.
During the test, the well sustained a flow rate of more than 6,000 barrels of crude oil per day with the test representing approximately 40% of the total net pay measured in the Jack #2 well.
Chevron and its co-owners plan to drill an additional appraisal well in 2007.
More than a half a dozen world records for test equipment pressure, depth, and duration in deepwater were set during the Jack well test.
“Chevron continues to demonstrate its leading position employing deepwater exploration technology to develop new supplies of US crude oil and natural gas with projects such as Jack,” said George Kirkland, vice president Upstream and Gas.
“The Gulf of Mexico will continue to be a platform for future growth for years to come,” he said.
Chevron continued to emphasize safety as a priority during the Jack well test. The team achieved no days away from work incidents, and no spills.
Chevron announced discovery of the Jack prospect in September 2004.
It is approximately 270 miles southwest of New Orleans and 175 miles offshore.
Chevron is the operator with a 50 percent working interest. Devon (NYSE: DVN) and Statoil (OSE: STL) each own a 25 percent working interest.
Chevron is the largest lease holder in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, and is currently developing the $3.5 billion Tahiti project located in Green Canyon Block 640.
The project is scheduled to commence production in 2008.
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