DNO discovers oil in Cretaceous horizon of Peshkabir field in Kurdistan, Iraq

Norwegian oil and gas operator DNO ASA has announced that the Peshkabir-2 well currently being drilled in the Kurdistan region of Iraq has encountered oil in the Cretaceous horizon within the southern flank of the Peshkabir field.

The well witnessed a stable flow rate at 3,800 barrels of 28° API oil per day through a 52/64 choke from an open hole test of a 170m interval.

Based on pressure data and observations from cuttings and side wall cores, Cretaceous oil interval is expected to exceed 300m.

DNO executive chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani said: “We are very encouraged by what we have seen so far in this well. Certainly our subsurface and drilling teams have started the year on the right foot.”

Drilling at Peshkabir-2 was initiated in October to target the Cretaceous horizon and also scheduled to appraise the previously tested deeper Jurassic reservoir on a 2012 discovery 18km from the Tawke field.

Peshkabir-2 spud was initially planned for 2015 but the fall in oil prices and disturbances of payments for the company's production and exports from Kurdistan delayed the plan.

After the post-well evaluation of all data acquired during Peshkabir-2 operations, DNO will provide an update on the resource potential of Cretaceous and Jurassic horizons.

DNO have 55% working interest in the Tawke licence that hosts the Peshkabir field with the operatorship.

Genel Energy and the Kurdistan Regional Government own 25% and 20% interest respectively at the project.

Apart from Tawke, Genel Energy also holds interest in Taq Taq, another oil producing field in the Kurdistan region.

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Image: Taq Taq central processing facility, Kurdistan. Photo: courtesy of Genel Energy.