Occidental of Oman Inc (Oxy) has completed drilling operations at the Ban 1 exploration well in its 1,254 sq km Block 27 (Wadi Aswad) licence. The pilot hole was spudded in early August 2019 and reached a TD of approximately 2,970 m. A sidetrack hole was also drilled from 2,750 m to 3,160 m. Average production in Block 27 is approximately 9,815 b/d of liquids and 24,000 MMcf/d of sales gas. In the 2018 Ministry of Oil and Gas update, Oxy reported that an additional 120,000 b/d of liquid handling capacity, 40,000 b/d of water injection capacity, and 30 MMcf/d of gas compression capacity had been added in blocks 9 and 27. The rightholders in Block 27 (Wadi Aswad) are Oxy (65% - operator) and Mitsui E&P Middle East BV (35%).  In October 2005, Oxy reported that H.E. the Minister for Oil & Gas had recognised the commercialisation of its Block 27 (Wadi Aswad) concession, and work on the development of the Khamilah discovery had commenced. The field was brought onstream in June 2006. Khamilah 1 was drilled tight in September 2002 to target Cretaceous Natih and Shu'aiba formation objectives. In March 2003 the discovery well was sidetracked, and Khamilah 1ST1 tested at initial rates of more than 7,500 b/d of 38Â°API oil from the Shu'aiba Formation. Outpost Khamilah 2 was drilled in late 2004, west of the initial wells and was completed with dual horizontal Shu'aiba producing drains.   Oxy signed an EPSA for Block 27 on 15 June 1998. The agreement was ratified by decree from the Sultan during the following August. The EPSA has a total minimum exploration expenditure commitment of USD 25.5 million over the three exploration periods. The predominant play in the block is that of Mid-Cretaceous (Natih â Shuâaiba) carbonates, in either structural or unconformity traps, as represented by fields such as Daleel (in the retained part of Japex's Block 5) and those being explored by Oxy in Block 9 (Suneinah) to the north.
Occidental of Oman Inc completes drilling of Ban 1 exploration well in Block 27 (Wadi Aswad)