Eco Atlantic’s Jabilo-1 well offshore Guyana comes up dry; next stop is Sapote-1

Last Updated on Monday, 5 July 2021, 8:38 by Denis Chabrol

Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Limited says the Jabilo-1 well, in the Canje Block, drilled by ExxonMobil is dry and will be plugged and abandoned, the company said on Monday.

“The Jabillo-1 well in the Canje Block, offshore Guyana, reached its planned target depth and was evaluated but did not show evidence of commercial hydrocarbons,” Eco (Atlantic) said in a statement.

Eco (Atlantic) said neither it nor its partner JHI Associates paid for the drilling. “This well was drilled at no cost to JHI or Eco and was completed on a full carry basis.” The company now expects an ExxonMobil to move to the Sapote well also located in the Canje Block.

“The Stena DrillMax rig is currently operating in the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek Block and is expected to move on to drill the Sapote-1 well, in the eastern portion of the Canje Block. The Sapote-1 Well is expected to be spud in mid-August 2021 with an estimated drilling time of up to 60 days,” Eco-Atlantic said.

The Jabillo-1 well was drilled to test Upper Cretaceous reservoirs in a stratigraphic trap. The well was positioned offshore Guyana, approximately 265 km northeast of Georgetown, in 2903 m of water and was safely drilled to a total depth of 6475 m.

The Sapote-1 prospect is located approximately 100 km southeast of Jabillo and approximately 50 km north of the Haimara discovery in the Stabroek Block which encountered ~207 ft (63 m) of high-quality, gas-condensate bearing sandstone reservoir and approximately 60 km northwest of the Maka Central discovery in Block 58 which encountered ~164 ft (50 m) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir.

Eco recently acquired a 6.4% interest in JHI Associates with the option to increase its stake to 10% on a fully diluted basis. JHI, a private company incorporated in Canada, holds a 17.5% working interest in the Canje Block and was carried on the Jabillo-1 well.

Eco says it remains well funded to progress its planned Orinduik Block drilling programme, subject to partner approval, and now as a result of this recent investment in JHI, it is also fully funded for the ongoing programme on Canje Block that includes the upcoming committed Sapote-1 well and any additional potential wells considered for this year.

The Canje Block is operated by ExxonMobil and is held by Working Interests partners Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Ltd. (35%), with TotalEnergies E&P Guyana B.V. (35%), JHI Associates (BVI) Inc. (17.5%) and Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc. (12.5%).

Gil Holzman, Co-Founder and CEO of Eco Atlantic, commented: “While today’s update from JHI is disappointing, this is the nature of oil exploration. Our stakeholders continue to support our exploration efforts and look for us to continue to define these near term high impact opportunities. Our next focus is the Sapote-1 prospect to be spud in the upcoming weeks which brings us another opportunity to share in what we hope to be another major ExxonMobil led discovery. JHI was carried on the Jabillo-1 well and this is just the first in a series of exploration wells that Eco expects to be involved in this year and next. Guyana has proven to be one of the most prolific hydrocarbon regions on the globe and the high discovery ratio continues and the Company continues to be excited about its near-term future prospects on both the Orinduik and the Canje Blocks.”