Energean Oil & Gas: Exploration Offshore Israel

Abstract

Energean Oil and Gas in 2017 acquired the Karish and Tanin Leases. Two discoveries were made after the drilling of the Karish-1 and Tanin-1 exploration wells. Both discoveries targeted and found gas within the prolific Lower Miocene “Tamar Sands”. The wells highlighted that the reservoir sands in each field where distributed differently due to locally controlling syn-depositional faults. In January 2018 Energean Oil and Gas acquired five exploration licenses offshore Israel through the 1st Israeli offshore licensing round. Seismic Interpretation has shown that the Tanin “play” type is common offshore Israel and analogues have been interpreted within the exploration licenses. The Karish “play” was not encountered within the Energean Oil and Gas acreage. The Karish play is likely to be present at locations of high transpression initiated during the deposition of the Tamar Sands. The Oligocene channel sandstones identified near the Nile delta are expected to be deposited as basin floor sands similar to the overlying “Tamar Sands” within the Levant basin. The pilot wells planned to optimize the Karish producing wells are designed to target the Oligocene sandstones. DHI evidence points to the Oligocene being charged with hydrocarbons. Success will encourage further exploration of the Oligocene play as a valid target. Pre-tertiary plays identified within Energean Oil and Gas licenses include the deep Mesozoic carbonates. Carbonate structures were identified below the Karish and Tanin fields. Generally the reservoir characteristics are not know since not many wells have penetrated the play offshore Israel. Finally deep carbonate karstified Mesozoic carbonates have been identified. The play is largely untested, it is encountered at depths more than 6000m over Energean’s acreage. Hydrocarbon potential offshore Israel is believed to be largely unexplored excluding the prolific Tamar Sands. Evidence of the deeper hydrocarbon plays are still to be confirmed by drilling. The opportunities are likely to be explored by combining with shallower targets. The deep prospectivity is likely to be liquids rich since thermogenic liquids are present in the Karish field.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90341 ©2019 AAPG Geoscience Technology Workshop, Exploration and Development of Siliciclastic and Carbonate Reservoirs in the Eastern Mediterranean, Tel Aviv, Israel, February 26-27, 2019