PEMEX plugged and abandoned dry the Yaaxtaab 1EXP new-field wildcat (NFW) in the AE-0013-M-Pilar de Akal-Kayab-04 entitlement during mid-December 2018.Â  The well reached a final total depth of 7,846 m. Â     The NFW was spudded on 27 November 2017.Â  Â Â        The NFW had a proposed total depth (PTD) of 7,800 m.Â  It was drilled by the Seadrill âWest Oberonâ J/U in a water depth of 52 m. Â Â Â        The primary target would be the pre-salt sequence that includes the Middle and Lower Jurassic and possibly Triassic and Upper Paleozoic sediments underlying the Upper Jurassic, Callovian Louann salt. The salt thickness was reported to be 500 m at this location from approximately 6,000 m to 6,500 m.        This well would be one of the deepest wells ever drilled in the country with an estimated cost of USD 128 million. Â        The NFW is projected to take 14 months to drill and would take it again to near the end of the two year extension period of 27 August 2019. Â        PEMEX has estimated unrisked prospective resources for the project at 250 MMboe.       The NFW is located in the western central border area of the AE-0013-M-Pilar de Akal-Kayab-04 entitlement between the Ixtal and Batab production blocks, approximately 4.7 km north northeast of the Batab 1 oil and gas discovery well. Â        Through new seismic interpretation PEMEX proposed the NFW in order to test the hypothetical pre-salt, Jurassic play in the Sureste Basin. Â        On the 18 October 2017, PEMEX had its exploration plans approved for drilling two new field wildcats (NFW) in the AE-0013-M-Pilar de Akal-Kayab-04 entitlement which includes the significant Yaaxtaab 1EXP NFW. Â      In 2012, PEMEX published a presentation on the hypothetical pre-salt play.Â  According to the presentation the play extends in a north south direction then trends northeasterly around the Yucatan peninsula predominantly in ultra-deep water of the Campeche Deep Sea Basin and the Campeche Escarpment Basin.Â  The proposed Yaaxtaab 1EXP is located in the very southeastern area of the hypothetical play.Â Â Â  Little is known about the pre-salt sediments with the exception of a few wells and onshore outcrop studies indicating mostly redbeds. There are several wells in the shelf area that may have reached the pre-salt sequence both to the northwest and southeast.Â  The nearest well is the Le 1 located approximately 25.7 km west northwest and the Che 1 is located about 39 km to the south southeast.Â  The estimated sediment types for the pre-salt Jurassic sediments in the southeastern area of the pre-salt play are oolitic carbonate banks at the top of the sequence to fluvial and lacustrine sediments transitioning into deeper water to fluvial and alluvial fan systems.Â  However, initial geochemical modelling indicates the pre-salt play would have a tendency to be gas prone in most of the play area with a narrow updip window of oil to condensates.Â  PEMEX is using as an analogy the Brazilian pre-salt play where the most favorable facies developed in areas of ultra-deep water and poorer facies in the shelf areas.Â  However if the Santos Basin pre-salt play is used as an analogy then the Mexico pre-salt play may have more oil than the PEMEX geochemical model, similar to Santos, with the salt acting as a thermal sink.Â  There are a variety of play types postulated including graben structural traps and combination traps with salt and basement.    On the 10, 13, and 18 October 2017 the CNH approved PEMEX proposed modifications to addendum 2, the minimum exploration work commitments, of 16 exploration entitlements out of 101 granted a two year extension by SENER on 27 August 2017 including the AE-0013-M-Pilar de Akal-Kayab-04 entitlement.Â Â  The AE-0013 entitlement was granted on 27 August 2014 and with the recent approved modification is now denominated the AE-0013-2M-Pilar de Akal-Kayab-04 entitlement.Â  The block underlies or overlies many of the largest fields in Mexico including the Cantarell complex, Abkatun, Kambesah, Ku, Ixtoc, Ixtal, Taratunich, and Batab.
Yaaxtaab 1 (PEMEX 100%), in the offshore AE-0013-M-Pilar de Akal Kayab-04 Contract, now confirmed P&A dry.