MPCL drills second horizontal well in Mari Gas Field

KARACHI: Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) has drilled and tested a second horizontal well “Mari-123H” in the Habib Rahi Limestone (HRL) Reservoir at Mari Gas Field, a statement said on Thursday.

The well was drilled to a total measured depth of 1,846 meters with a horizontal section of around 900 meters, which is approximately 400 meters longer than the first well. A longer horizontal section was achieved through utilisation of the latest directional drilling and geo-steering technologies with real time data monitoring in subnormal pressure environment, according to the company statement.

“Better planning and execution resulted in 17 percent lower cost compared to the first horizontal well with an improved drilling efficiency,” it said. After the acid stimulation, MPCL added, the well was tested at a rate of around 20 mmscfd of gas with a flowing wellhead pressure of 318 psig (pounds per square inch gauge).

MPCL is the operator of Mari Gas Field with 100 percent working interest. The well has been put on production immediately after testing.

“The company is evaluating opportunities to drill additional horizontal wells to better manage the delivery pressure, while sustaining the current production rates from HRL Reservoir.”

MPCL is an integrated exploration and production company, currently operating Pakistan’s largest gas reservoir in the Mari D&P lease area, Daharki, Sindh. With around 23 percent market share, it is the largest gas producer in the country.

According to the company, it plays a pivotal role in ensuring food security of Pakistan as more than 90 percent of the urea in the country is produced from the MPCL supplied gas.

In the last five years, the company said it has contributed around Rs366 billion to the national exchequer in the form of taxes, levies and duties, saving around $11 billion in foreign exchange through import substitution.

Faheem Haider, managing director and of CEO MPCL, said the company plans to deploy new technologies in its operations to maximise recovery of the indigenous hydrocarbon resources.

“MPCL’s aim is to arrest the declining gas production in the country through a combination of maximising production from current fields and discovering new resources via aggressive exploration strategy in the frontier areas in company’s portfolio,” he said.

Waqar Ahmed Malik, managing director/CEO of the Fauji Foundation and chairman of MPCL’s board of directors, congratulated MPCL’s management for the accomplishment, saying it would help in sustaining gas supplies to fertiliser plants and ultimately contribute towards the country’s food security.