History of the Parentis Oil Field Discovery, Aquitaine, France

In 1951 the Standard Oil of New Jersey was granted at 100% a permit covering a large portion of North Aquitaine, with South Aquitaine being reserved for two French state-owned companies. The first well drilled, Mano 1, in 1953 proved dry but was lucky enough to find a 670 m thick section of Lower Cretaceous and notably with some weak shows. In 1954 for its second exploration well the Standard Oil took the risk of drilling Parentis 1 even if lacking control to the west under a lake … In March 1954 oil flowed from Aptian and Barremian dolomites, a karstified and highly fractured reservoir. Parentis became at the time the biggest producer in western Europe and Esso-Rep was created to exploit the field. Recoverable reserves approach 250 Mbo.

With the progressive exhaustion of the volumes produced, Esso-Rep decided to cease its activities and in 1997 sold the field to the Canadian company Vermilion.