The Dutch Ministry announced on 21 January 2020 that the 243 sq km F4a exploration licence was awarded to NAM who will be the operator with Neptune and HALO as partners. The licence is in the north of block F4 and is valid from 22 January 2020 for five years. During the validity period, NAM must submit a work program before 22 January 2023 which should detail an intended exploration well and the well must be drilled before 22 January 2024. Multiple shallow gas prospects have been identified in the licence.    HALO and Neptune submitted competing bids during the 13-week period after NAM's application for F4a. The Dutch Ministry announced that in October 2019 all parties agreed to share the licence interests with NAM as operator. The commitment well that will be drilled by the end of the fourth year will have Tertiary sandstone targets. HALO identified multiple shallow gas prospects in the licence that have amplitude anomalies in four-way dip-closed structures. Two wells have been drilled on the licence. In 1971 the first well was F4-1, an exploration well which was plugged and abandoned dry. The well had targets in the Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation but was drilled to evaluate the regional stratigraphy down to the Zechstein Group. In 1980 the F4-2 well was drilled in the east of the licence, it was abandoned dry. The targets were in the Lower Permian Rotliegend Sandstone Formation but also with secondary targets in the Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation, Zechstein carbonates and Carboniferous. It is believed that the shallow gas play has not previously been targeted in the area covered by F4a.    The F4a licence is next to exploration licence B16b, B17, E3a, E6a, F1 and F2b that was granted to NAM at the same time, also valid from 22 January 2020. HALO and Neptune are not partners in that neighboring licence. The neighboring F5 exploration licence was awarded to Neptune (operator) and HALO on 3 October 2019 with a four year validity period and a well commitment in year three. The F5 licence lies to the south of the Hanze oil and gas field (Dana) and to the west of the F3-FB oil and gas field (Neptune), both are producing. Industry sources indicated the F5 licence has a shallow gas anomaly that will be targeted and Neptune confirmed in late November 2019 that they will target a Tertiary gas reservoir. Two prospects have been mapped as extending across licences F5 and F4a.  The F4a licence is held by Nederlandse Aardolie Mij BV (operator), Neptune Energy Group Ltd, HALO Exploration & Production Netherlands BV and Energie Beheer Nederland BV (40%).
Netherlands, F5