Other opportunities
Indonesia
The Kutai PSC covers an area of 2,831 square kilometres located in the Kutei basin of East Kalimantan. The Group has a 23.4 per cent. interest in the Kutai PSC. The underlying acreage surrounds a number of producing fields. The Kutai PSC area is divided into five parts, one of which is located onshore with the rest located offshore in water depths from the shoreline to approximately 200 metres. Offshore 3D and onshore 2D seismic programmes were completed in early 2009.
The Dambus-1 and Marindan-1 exploration wells were drilled in the second half of 2010. Both wells encountered hydrocarbons but neither was deemed to be commercial and both of the wells were plugged and abandoned.
In 2013 the Tayum-1 exploration well encountered gas bearing, reservoir quality sandstones and the operator is looking to complete a cluster development to commercialise Tayum, Dambus and other nearby gas accumulations that are sub-commercial on a stand-alone basis.
The South Sokang PSC covers an area of 4,994 square kilometres and is located in the Natuna Sea, offshore Indonesia. The Group has a 40 per cent. interest in the South Sokang PSC.
The block contains a previously unknown and as yet undrilled frontier Eocene-Oligocene basin. The first three-year exploration phase requires the operator to acquire and process 2,400 kilometres of 2D and 500 square kilometres of 3D seismic data. The 2D seismic programme was completed in the first quarter of 2012 and processing is currently ongoing. Once complete, it will be interpreted with a view to commencing a 3D seismic programme, which would be conducted in [2013]. Completion of the 3D seismic programme would complete the work commitments under phase 1 of the PSC.
Thailand
The Sinphuhorm gas field is located on the Khorat Plateau, onshore northeast Thailand, within two concessions covering Blocks E5N and EU1 (the “Sinphuhorm Concessions”).
The Group has an effective 9.5125% interest in the Sinphuhorm Concessions. Hess is the operator of the Sinphuhorm Concessions and has a 35% interest. The other partners are PTTEP with a 20% interest and ExxonMobil with a 10% interest.
The Sinphuhorm gas field was discovered by Esso in 1983 with the Phu Horm-1 well. Gas is trapped in Mid Permian fractured limestone and dolomite reservoirs of the Pha Nok Kao formation.
Production from the field commenced in November 2006. There are currently four producing wells on the field (Phu Horm-3, Phu Horm-4, Phu Horm-5 and Phu Horm-10) that are in pressure communication (the pressures are linked to each other). The gas and liquids are transported from a central manifold through a 62 km pipeline to a gas processing plant located alongside the Nam Phong power station. At the gas processing plant, the liquids (including water) are removed. The dry gas is sold to PTT under a gas sales agreement and the condensate is sold to PTT under a separate sales agreement.
Production from the Sinphuhorm gas field has averaged approximately 87 MMscfd of gas since the field started up in 2006.
As at 31 December 2012 according to RPS, proven and probable reserves for the Sinphuhorm gas field are 3.5 MMbbl and 924.4 Bcf on a gross 100% basis and 0.4 MMbbl and 97.7 Bcf on a Salamander net working interest basis.
The Group has an effective 27.2 per cent. interest in Block L15/43, a 922 square kilometre block that surrounds the Sinphuhorm Concessions.
The South Phu Horm-1 well was drilled in 2008 to appraise the southerly extent of the Sinphuhorm field. The well encountered gas but the fracture network required to realise a commercial flow-rate was not present in this location.
Malaysia
Salamander signed a Production Sharing Contract (“PSC”) for Block PM322, located in the Melaka Straits on the Malay side of the Central Sumatra Basin, offshore West Coast Peninsular Malaysia, in December 2013. The award of the licence for Block PM322 marked the Group’s entry into Malaysia. Salamander will operate the PSC with an 85% working interest.
The PM322 PSC contains the Port Klang oil discovery which was made by Sun Oil in 1991, in the same drilling campaign that also resulted in the discovery of the Salamander operated Bualuang oil field in the Gulf of Thailand. The PSC is located in shallow water and covers an area of approximately 20,000 sq km’s. This offshore area has seen very limited drilling with only six wells ever drilled in the Malaysian side of the Melaka Strait. However, with two discoveries reported, the extension of the Sumatran basins into Malaysian waters has been demonstrated, indicating the hydrocarbon potential of the acreage.
The committed work programme consists of shooting 3D seismic and drilling one exploration well before December 2016.
Laos
The Group has a 20 per cent. interest in the Champasak and Saravan PSC, which is 80 per cent. owned and operated by PVEP. The Champasak and Saravan PSC covers 14,140 square kilometres and is located in the Khorat Basin.
PVEP completed a 2D seismic survey during 2011 and is currently interpreting the data and integrating the interpretation into its regional database. Once interpreted, PVEP may propose a well, although the Company does not anticipate any drilling taking place prior to 2014.
