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1 Trinidad

Touchstone Exploration completed an exploration well at #1-Cascadura Deep in the Ortoire Block onshore Trinidad. The well was drilled to a total depth of 8,303 ft, and drilling operations were suspended due to high-pressure gas zones encountered. The venture hit a total sand thickness of 2,100 ft in multiple, stacked thrust sheets in the Herrera section. According to the company, wireline logs indicated gas pay totaling approximately 1,315 net ft in four unique thrust sheets from a depth of 5,455 ft to total depth. In addition, an aggregate 1,007 net ft of gas pay was identified in the overthrust sheets, an increase of approximately 20% compared to the #1ST1-Cascadura discovery, and additional gas pay of approximately 308 net ft was encountered in two previously untested Herrera thrust sheets below the sands observed in #1ST1-Cascadura. The #1-Cascadura Deep is the fourth of the amended five-well exploration commitment under Touchstone's Ortoire license. Operator Touchstone holds an 80% working interest, and partner Heritage Petroleum Co. Ltd. holds a 20% working interest.

2 UK

Jersey Oil & Gas announced a comprehensive subsurface evaluation across its licensed acreage and has validated its existing prospectivity. The study identified a significant new prospect, Wengen, in license P2170, directly west of the producing Tweedsmuir Field. The company said four of the Greater Buchan prospects have been matured to drill-ready status: Verbier Deep, Cortina NE (J64), Wengen (P2170) and Zermatt (P2497). The prospects have an aggregate P50 prospective resource of 222 MMboe, which includes upside potential to Cortina NE. An exploration well is planned for 2022. Jersey Oil & Gas is the operator of P2170 (blocks 20/5b and 21/1d) with 88% interest in partnership with CIECO V&C UK, which holds the remaining 12%.

3 South Africa

New Age Energy and Rift Petroleum have committed to the second exploration period of the Algoa-Gamtoos license offshore South Africa. The commitment will run for two years for a program that includes acquisition of about 300 sq km of 3D seismic over the license area. The Algoa-Gamtoos license area is adjacent to Block 11B/12B, where Total made two large deepwater gas/condensate discoveries, Brulpadda and Luiperd. In addition, the license includes the southern deepwater basin margin of the Outeniqua Basin targeted by both discovery wells. According to New Age Energy, the company has identified a substantial prospect on newly reprocessed 2D seismic over this area.

View more highlights at Hart Energy's Drilling Activity database.