壳牌将探索在超深水墨西哥湾发现石油所有选项

据石油新闻2020年8月28日墨西哥城报道，荷兰皇家壳牌公司将对其位于超深水墨西哥湾的其中一个区块进行勘探计划中所允许的所有勘探活动，来充分了解该区块的潜力。

墨西哥国家碳氢化合物委员会(CNH) 8月28日全体一致批准了壳牌公司有关执行所有Xochicalco-1EXP勘探计划中允许的勘探活动的请求，其中包括钻取一口补充井和一口侧钻井。Xochicalco-1EXP是一个位于距离墨西哥北部塔毛利帕斯州坦皮科市海岸123英里海域的油田。

壳牌公司技术顾问埃尔南德斯·佩雷斯在8月28日举行的网络直播会议上说，壳牌公司将在5英里深处钻第二口井，设法钻到Wilcox地层，该地层预计储量可达5.62亿桶油当量。·佩雷斯说，壳牌公司曾在6月份要求进行“这些”活动。

CNH的委员们确认了在该地区进行勘探活动以最终获得资源的重要性。Alma Porres Luna委员强调了这样一个事实，即壳牌公司已经决定使用一家当地承包商来开展这些活动。

壳牌公司将使用由总部设在墨西哥的Grupo R建造的Muralla IV半潜式平台。壳牌公司最初在2019年6月获得批准的勘探计划所需费用现在将从1.04亿美元增至3.458亿美元，因为壳牌公司决定加大勘探钻井的力度，以更好地了解储油层。

CNH技术顾问罗德里戈· 费尔南德斯在去年6月该计划获得批准时表示，Xochicalco-1EXP油田位于佩尔迪多褶皱带，该地区以前几乎没有进行过勘探活动，而且距离任何现有的基础设施都很远，因此在技术上具有挑战性。

费尔南德斯说，这个包括CNH-R02-L04-AP-PG07/2018合同的区块的附近只有一个区块，这个区块也由壳牌公司担任作业者。

壳牌公司迄今在墨西哥举行的数轮招标中赢得了11个区块，其中9个区块位于墨西哥湾深水区。

墨西哥国家石油公司(Pemex)在其2019-2023年商业计划中决定推迟对深水油田的所有投资，将重点放在浅水和陆上油田，以最大限度地提高短期产量。Pemex在其历史上曾先后共钻取了50多口深水井，但没有取得任何成功的成果。

李峻 编译自 石油新闻

原文如下：

Shell to explore all options to find oil in the Mexican ultra deepwater Gulf of Mexico

Shell will conduct all the activities allowed in the exploration plan for one of its blocks in the ultra deepwater Gulf of Mexico as it seeks to fully understand its potential.

The National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) on Aug. 28 unanimously approved Shell's request to carry out all the permitted activities in the exploration plan for its Xochicalco-1EXP, a field located 123 miles off the coast of the city of Tampico, in the Northern state of Tamaulipas, which include drilling one additional well and a sidetrack.

Shell will drill the second well at depths of five miles trying to reach a Wilcox formation, with prospective reserves of as much as 562 million barrels of oil equivalent, said Israel Hernandez Perez, technical advisor, during a webcast session on Aug. 28. Shell requested "these" activities in June, Hernandez Perez said.

Commissioners acknowledged the importance of having exploration activities in the area to ultimately obtain resources. Commissioner Alma Porres Luna highlighted the fact that Shell has decided to use a local contractor to conduct these activities.

Shell will use the Muralla IV semi-submersible platform, built by Mexico-based Grupo R.

Shell’s exploration plan, which was originally approved in June 2019, will now go from $104 million to $345.8 million, as the company decides to drill more to better understand the reservoir.

Xochicalco is located in the Perdido fold belt, an area with very little prior exploration activity and far from any existing infrastructure, which makes it technically challenging, Rodrigo Hernandez, another technical advisor said in June 2019, when the plan was approved.

The block, included in contract CNH-R02-L04-AP-PG07/2018, has only one other area near by, which is also operated by Shell, Hernandez said.

Shell won 11 blocks during Mexico′s rounds, nine of which are in Mexican deepwaters, making it the company with the biggest exposure to those formations.

Mexico's Pemex, which has drilled over 50 deepwater wells in its history without any successful results, decided in its 2019-2023 business plan to postpone all investments in deepwaters to focus on shallow-waters and onshore fields to maximize its short-term production.