On 5 December 2018, Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) announced that it had made a gas discovery in the second sidetrack hole of the Benari X-1 new-field wildcat (NFW) well within the Shah Bandar 2467-16 EL (Indus Delta / Indus Basin) onshore concession. The last reported depth of the well was 3,591 m in late November 2018. The company had initiated the sidetrack during late August 2018 after drilling to a depth of 3,484 m in the Cretaceous âMassive Sandâ unit of the Lower Goru Formation. The well was spudded on 22 May 2018 using the âWDI-3â land rig with a prognosed TD of 3,776 m in the Cretaceous. This is the companyâs first well in the block.  Benari X-1 was drilling at 686 m depth by the end of May, reached 2,010 m by mid-June 2018 and subsequently progressed to 2,318 m by the end of the month. It was drilling at 2,597 m depth by the end of July and reached 3,439 m by mid-August 2018. After initiating a sidetrack in late August, the well was drilling at 3,561 m depth during mid-September 2018.  The licence covers an area of 2,083 sq km and is located in the Sindh province. The equity split in the block is as follows: PPL (65.5%, operator), Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MPCL) (32%) and Sindh Energy Holding Company Ltd (SEHCL) (2.5%).  Â     Background Information    The Shah Bandar block was exclusively awarded to PPL with the signing of Petroleum Concession Agreement (PCA) on 21 February 2014. PPL then assigned 2.5% stake in the block to SEHCL, which represents Sindhâs provincial government, in March 2016 - it however was made effective from the date of award for this block which was 21 February 2014.  PPL acquired 330 line km 2D seismic over the block between February-June 2015. The company then acquired 372 sq km 3D seismic (dynamite / air gun source) during November 2015 â September 2016 period using the services of Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corp (SINOPEC).   MPCL announced on 23 June 2016 that its Board of Directors approved the acquisition of 32% interest in Shah Bandar EL from PPL. The revised equity split in the block after government approval would be as follows: PPL (65.5%, operator), MPCL (32%) and SEHCL (2.5%).  PPL was granted a one-year extension to Phase-I of initial term of the Shah Bandar EL from 21 February 2017 to 20 February 2018
Benari X-1 (PPL 65% op, GHPL 25%, Asia Res 10%) in 2467-16 EL onshore block, gas discovery, target Lower Goru. A-Sand Upper Sand of the Cretaceous Lower Goru formation tested, flowed 9.05 MMcfg/d with 48/64â choke. TD=3561m.