Northern announces that it has completed drilling and coring operations on the Sandhills-2 well including the Sandhills-2Z sidetrack which reached a Total Depth (TD) of 4960 feet measured depth.

Core and electric log analyses have demonstrated that although oil has migrated to the Sandhills area and has been trapped there, it has suffered bio-degradation to an extent that effectively it is considered not capable of economic production even with oil saturations of up to 55%. The logs have also been interpreted to indicate the presence of a limited quantity of gas as was evidenced during drilling.

After completion of operations at Sandhills-2 and demobilisation, the rig will be moved to begin drilling Northern’s Bouldnor Copse-1.

Derek Musgrove, Managing Director of Northern stated:

“The encouragement that can be taken from the Sandhills operation is that oil has migrated that far west. Bouldnor Copse-1 is therefore sited with oil in the soon to be developed 98/7-2 and Wytch Farm oil fields to the west and Sandhills to the east. At Bouldnor Copse-1 we are targeting an up to 300 million barrel oil prospect in the Sherwood Sandstone with the Great Oolite as a secondary objective in which we have a 70% interest. It should be noted the Sherwood sandstone reservoir is below a depth at which bio-degradation would occur.

We can look at the oil in Sandhills as something that geologically flattered, but we are encouraged by it as it gives us increased comfort that oil has migrated into the Bouldnor Copse area.

It is also important to recognise that it does not impinge in any way upon our prospects in the Weald Basin where the widespread presence of oolitic shoal reservoir formations and good quality light oil are well established.”

Licence: PEDL 098
Location: Wessex Basin, Isle of Wight.
Rig: BDF Rig 28

Participants in the Sandhills-2 well are:

For further information, please contact:

Northern Petroleum Plc
Derek Musgrove
Tel: 020 7743 6080

Hansard Communications
Chris Roberts/Ben Simons
Tel: 020 7245 1100