The Tamar Field from Discovery to Production

Dan Needham, Jim Hosler, Stephanie Nowak, Chris Christensen, and Jon Ffrench

Since the Tamar discovery in January 2009, Noble Energy and partners drilled six successful exploration wells with over 35 TCF of natural gas discovered in Oligo-Miocene reservoirs in the Levant Basin of the Eastern Mediterranean. This substantial new exploration trend includes some of the largest gas discoveries in the world over the last decade.

Deep-water subsalt exploration began in 2003 with the Hannah-1 dry hole. Following a five year hiatus, a new subsalt exploration and drilling program began in 2008 resulting in gas discoveries at Tamar, Dalit, Leviathan, Dolphin, Tanin, and Cyprus A. The main subsalt play area is over 10,000 square kilometers in water depths of approximately 1300 to 1700 meters.

The Oligo-Miocene reservoir section is comprised of alternating thin silts and mudstones and sandstones deposited by sandy turbidites in a deep water setting. The accumulations are characterized by thick deposits, over 250 meter of gross pay at Tamar, of high quality reservoir with >20 % porosity and >500 mD permeability. Traps are faulted, fourway closures reaching as large as 300 square kilometers at Leviathan. The gas is biogenic in origin and comprised of 99% methane.

Over 140 meters of conventional core has been collected from one appraisal and four development wells at Tamar. Core calibration has proven critical to petrophysical evaluation, resource assessment and completion design.

Initial production at Tamar will be from five wells each capable of producing over 250 MMscfd each and with first production scheduled for early 2013 just over four years after discovery. Tamar production will supply a significant share of the Israeli energy market needs and open up a new chapter in the Eastern Mediterranean oil & gas industry.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90161©2013 AAPG European Regional Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 8-10 April 2013