The Northern Egyptian Red Sea - A New Deepwater Frontier - Part II

By

Jerome P. Siok¹, R. A. Ripple¹, T. Dodd², G. B. Artigas¹

(1) BP Egypt, Houston, TX (2) BP Egypt,

 Reevaluation of existing outcrop and sample data along with petroleum system modeling provide new insights into the petroleum resource potential of this frontier area. Pre-Miocene sequences may provide high quality reservoir potential. Regional evidence points to extensive Cretaceous clastics (Nubia) that should be preserved in regional down-thrown structural areas. Porosity preservation in quartz-rich sandstones at comparable depths in the Gulf of Suez exceeds minimum reservoir cutoffs. Thermal modeling indicates that high heat flows associated with rifting are not detrimental to reservoir preservation along the flanks of the rift. Miocene shales and marls of the Lower Rudeis provide cross-fault seals. The extent and richness of a pre-Miocene source rock can be demonstrated from outcrop and well data. Geochemical typing of offshore well data shows that the Cretaceous Brown Limestone is in an oil source facies and has generated hydrocarbons. This work demonstrates a working hydrocarbon system with a mature Cretaceous source and the potential for a pre-Miocene reservoir. Mapped structures in the Egypt 2001 tender blocks are estimated to contain significant resources. The key remaining risk is imaging preservation of the Cretaceous reservoir intervals in structural closures. Economics and an access assurance project analyzed drilling cost and potential developments and determined that if enough resources could be found that top-quartile development opportunities could exist in this new frontier.