Southeast Asia’s hydrocarbon sector has gained fresh momentum as Canadian oil and gas company Valeura Energy struck an oil discovery near its existing offshore field in the Gulf of Thailand, potentially supporting a new satellite development while extending the productive life of existing infrastructure.
Valeura Energy has revealed an oil discovery at Suraphi near its Manora oil field and confirmed the completion of a development and appraisal drilling campaign on its Jasmine field in the Gulf of Thailand. The Suraphi find was made by drilling the Manora-9 open water exploration well and associated sidetracks, approximately 4.5 kilometers to the northeast of the firm’s Manora A platform.
The company emphasizes that several prospects were targeted in the operation, each within a distinct fault block. While the E prospect identified several oil-bearing sandstone intervals within the 600-series lacustrine sands, and intersected oil over a gross column measuring 626 feet with 162 feet net oil pay, the D prospect encountered a similar oil-bearing reservoir section in the adjacent fault block, within a gross column measuring 849 feet with 172 feet net oil pay.
Dr. Sean Guest, Valeura’s President and CEO, commented: “Our discovery of a new accumulation of oil very nearby our Manora field is a game-changer for Block G1/48. The results for net pay encountered exceed our pre-drill estimates and is likely to justify a new satellite facility development on the block. We are now moving into a development planning phase which will also include appraising the proximal Malida oil field.
“Additionally, the discovery of new and thicker reservoir sands in this structure points to other exploration upside in the vicinity. We expect that the development of this new field, which will be named ‘Suraphi’ will create a new lease on life for the greater Manora field area, by utilising the existing Manora-A processing facility for more oil than the Manora field alone.”
A third sidetrack tested a shallower and riskier play which was not hydrocarbon-bearing, but the findings in the D and E fault blocks have effectively de-risked a third adjacent fault block (F), which is well-imaged on 3D seismic.
Based on the company’s mapping, as calibrated by pressure data collected during drilling, there is evidence to suggest that all three fault blocks could be filled to their spill point, thereby constituting a ‘best case scenario’ discovery within these prospects.
The firm estimates that even when measured more conservatively, by only considering the deepest oil demonstrated in the wells, the discovery would likely still justify a satellite facility development on the block. Valeura believes an additional satellite platform to develop the Suraphi field also creates an opportunity to develop the otherwise-stranded Malida field, 3.5 kilometers to the east.
As this oil discovery has encountered a thicker than expected reservoir interval and demonstrated oil migration into the area, it derisks nearby exploration prospects. By creating a satellite facility tied in to the Manora wellhead and processing platform, the operator anticipates an extension of the Manora field’s productive life, adding tail oil production which would otherwise be considered uneconomic and not produced.
As a result, Valeura is moving immediately into a development planning phase to establish a plan to maximise the value of the discovery, and provide scope for future development in the vicinity. The firm will conduct studies to plan for appraisal of the Malida field and re-evaluate the nearby exploration prospects for inclusion in future drilling campaigns.
Four development and appraisal wells crossed off the drilling list
Before the Manora-9 well, Valeura finished a development and appraisal drilling campaign on its Jasmine field, with the total of four wellbores completed, two on the Jasmine-C platform and two on Jasmine-D, including two horizontal development wells and two dual-objective deviated wells drilled for both development and appraisal targets.
Both of the multi-objective wells appraised several new zones, which will now be studied as potential future development candidates. This drilling campaign enabled the firm to record a net increase in the amount of organic investment opportunities at Jasmine. Additionally, the immediate impact has been an up-tick in oil production, offsetting the near-term impact of natural production declines.
The company highlights that oil production rates have increased from approximately 7,570 bbls/d before royalties in the seven-day period before the new wells were brought on stream, to rates in the seven-day period after bringing all wells on stream of approximately 8,250 bbls/d before royalties.
Dr. Guest underlined: “I am very pleased to see our drilling programme continue delivering value through all facets of operations – development, appraisal, and exploration. With these successes, we are facing an expanded set of organic investment opportunities, while at the same time continuing to pursue aggressively, our inorganic growth ambitions.”
Valeura, which will shortly demobilise Borr Drilling’s Mist rig and subsequently release it from its contract, intends to resume Gulf of Thailand drilling operations in early November 2026, when it begins its charter of ADES’ Enterprise rig to initially conduct a drilling program on its Nong Yao field in Block G11/48, followed by development drilling on the Wassana field in Block G10/48.
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