Post-well analysis of exploration drilling on UK Atlantic Margin provides clues to success

This paper is based on an updated and more detailed version to the article that was published in the January 2003 PESGB newsletter. The material presented here only forms part of a more confidential, comprehensive, in depth analysis on all exploration wells drilled on the UK Atlantic Margin from the end of 1995 (Figures 1 and 2). The analysis utilised available well, 2D/3D seismic data and other key geologic data. However, for reasons of confidentiality the paper presents a generalised overview of what has been learnt from exploration drilling. The main conclusion is that from the exploration wells analysed along the UK Atlantic Margin, less than 50% were located on what could be termed a ‘reliable, robust structure’. Moreover, the wells that were located on the more reliable, robust structures recorded a higher success rate of more than one in two.