As Mexico's 20-billion-bbl Cantarell complex of six fields in the Bay of Campeche goes into decline, state oil company Pemex has launched a well-planned, sophisticated campaign to use its deep water and other assets to maintain or increase production.
For example, Cantarell fields produced more than 2 million b/d of oil in the first 3 months of 2006 with the help of nitrogen injection. Pemex estimated that production will drop to 1.9 million b/d this year, to 1.7 million b/d next year and to 1.4 million b/d in 2008. The field has produced some 11.5 billion bbl of oil and will produce another 8 billion bbl.
Production from all sources in 2004 amounted to 3.4 million b/d and dropped to 3.3 million b/d last year. The addition of Ku-Maloob-Zaap, the Bermudez complex, Jujo-Tecominoacan and other fields could return the total production figure to 3.4 million b/d this year.
Production from deep water is a big part of Mexico's future. Mexico drilled its first successful well in water deeper than 1,640 ft (500 m) in 2004. That was the Nab-1, in 2,234 ft (681 m) of water, 78 miles (125 km) northeast of Ciudad del Carmen in Campeche state. It produced 1,200 b/d of 9°-gravity oil from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridgian at 13,288 ft (4,050 m) from a reservoir with 200 million boe in place.
In a presentation to the commercial section of the Norwegian Consulate General and the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, Adan Oviedo Perez, vice president of exploration technology for Pemex Exploration & Production outlined the company's sprint to deepwater competence.
From 2002 to 2005, it acquired 9,858 sq miles (25,558 sq km) of 3-D seismic and 28,092 miles (45,236 km) of 2-D seismic. That allowed Pemex to undertake regional interpretations, structural modeling, 3-D basin modeling, pre-stack depth migration, seal integrity studies, pore pressure prediction, well planning and design, and conceptual development studies, he said.
Pemex explorationists found 38 exploratory projects and drilled three wildcat wells. Among prospects identified were Alaminos Canyon and Maximo on the US-Mexico border opposite the prolific Alaminos Canyon group of discoveries on the US side, and Magno, also on the Mexican extension of the Sigsbee Escarpment south of Maximo. Farther down the east coast, they found Shanit and Lankahuasa Profundo. Near the southernmost edge of the Gulf of Mexico, they found Holok-Alvarado, and they found Tamil and Nox-Hux seaward of Cantarell offshore Campeche Bay.
They added Maximino, Noxal and Tabscoob with the help of 3-D amplitude-versus-offset studies and further honed prospects with shallowwater hazard and pore pressure prediction studies, Oviedo said.
By they end of the 2002 to 2005 period, the exploration team generated still more prospects surrounding the original group of prospects.
Early this year, Pemex drilled the Noxal-1 in 3,064 ft (934 m) of water, and it continues to march into deeper and deeper horizons with the Lakach-1 planned this year on completion of the Noxal well. That is in 3,225 ft (983 m) of water.
As drilling progresses for the company, it will reach into the northern area on the extension of the Sigsbee Escarpment, where Afotica is the deepest prospect in 10,991 ft (3,350 m) of water southeast of the Alaminos Canyon complex on the US side of the border.
Plans now call for Pemex to drill the Maximino-1 in 9,485 ft (2,891 m) of water and the Pep-1 in 9,646 ft (2,940 m) of water in 2008.
Luis Ramirez said the nine fields in the Holok-Alvarado area have the potential to produce 10 billion boe. That area is nearly 93 miles (150 km) long and 50 miles (80 km) wide on its longest sides.