Total commences drilling of Antelope-6 well

 TOTAL  E&P Papua New Guinea Limited, operator of petroleum retention license 15 in Gulf, has begun drilling the Antelope-6 appraisal well.

According to an announcement by InterOil, the well is designed to provide structural control and reservoir definition on the field’s eastern flank.

It has a proposed total depth of around 2464 metres (8084 feet) true vertical depth sub-sea and is located about two kilometres east-south-east of Antelope-3.

InterOil holds a 36.5 per cent interest in the well. 

Total E&P PNG Limited has a 40.1 per cent interest, Oil Search has 22.8 per cent, and the remaining 0.5 per cent is held by minority parties.

Meanwhile, during the 2015 PNG Mining and Petroleum Conference in Port Moresby last month, Total PNG managing director Philippe Blanchard said the company, along with its project partners, would be finalising assessment to source funding for the project.

Blanchard said the operator of the Papua LNG would also be finalising its appraising programme in the coming year.

“For a short-term perspective of what we are going to do in 2016, we will be finalising our appraisal programme,” Blanchard said.