In a press release dated 31 March 2020, Oil Search announced it had successfully flow tested the Nanushuk reservoir in the in the Mitquq 1 ST1 (API 501032080801) exploration well on lease ADL 393876 on the North Slope. The well encountered a net pay zone of 172 ft (52 m) with a gas cap of 29 ft (9 m) and flowed at a stabilized rate of 1,730 bod from a single stimulated zone. Logs and core were acquired before conducting the flow test.  The original Mitquq 1 (API 501032080800) well encountered 197 ft (60 m) of net hydrocarbon pay in the primary objective Nanushuk interval, comprised of 17 ft (5 m) of net gas pay and 180 ft (55 m) of net oil pay. No oil-water contact was encountered. The well also intersected 21 ft (6 m) of net gas pay and 31 ft (10 m) of net oil pay in the secondary objective Alpine C target. The Alpine C reservoir will be evaluated by future appraisal wells.  The well was spud 25 December 2019, using the Nabors 7-ES rig. On 18 December 2019, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved permit 2191500 filed by the company to drill the well.  Oil Search filed the Lease Plan of Operations Application on 26 September 2019 and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources approved it on 6 December 2019. The plan covers lease ADL 393876, where the drill pad will be located, and adjoining lease 393875 directly to the east.  The Mitquq prospect in the Pikka East block is about 6 mi (10 km) to the southeast of the Pikka Nanushuk Development Pad A (ND-A). The prospect is described as Nanushuk analog that can be tied back to future Pikka infrastructure, with a potential resource of 200 â 500 MMbo. Secondary targets may be penetrated to evaluate exploration upside within the Torok, Kuparuk C and Alpine C reservoirs. The application calls for the drilling of one well and a sidetrack from an ice pad located in Sections 3 and 10 of U11N7E, as well as acquiring tiltmeter data and a walkaway vertical seismic profile. The wells will be directionally drilled to a true vertical depth of 7,000 ft (2,134 m) or less, with the Mitquq 1 well being drilled to a bottom hole location about 3,083 ft (940 m) to the east-southeast.  Oil Search operates the leases with 51% working interest, with the remaining 49% interest held by Repsol.  Keiran Wulff, Managing Director of Oil Search, said, "We are very encouraged by the success of our 2019/20 Alaskan exploration programme, with oil discovered in all three penetrations, at Mitquq 1 Mitquq 1 ST1 and Stirrup, and excellent flow rates achieved in the two well tests. We also discovered high quality oil in a deeper reservoir at Mitquq which was not tested. While further appraisal will be required, these new discoveries may represent low cost tie-back options to the proposed Pikka Unit Development and have the potential to create substantial long-term value for Oil search shareholders, as well as having positive implications for the prospectivity of our acreage."
United States, ADL 393876