Roxi Petroleum Operations Update

Today Roxi Petroleum (AIM:RXP) announced a comprehensive operations update covering four of their oil exploration and production assets in Kazakhstan.

BNG

Roxi have successfully re-perforated the old well 54 on the South Yelemes field.  The deeper interval produced oil and water at a rate of 90 barrels of oil per day (bopd).  This interval had to be isolated with a cement plug after water ingress from a deeper water leg.  The shallower interval is now on test production at ~200bopd.  As this well was originally drilled in 1988, it seems a remarkable achievement to get this well to flow at all.

Two further wells 805 and 806 on the South Yelemes field will now be drilled to test the formations producing in Well 54, and two secondary targets (presumably deeper) in the Middle Jurassic.  It seems appropriate to expect bpth these wells to be producers as the primary target is the formation already producing in Well 54.  Roxi estimates the gross P50 reserves for South Yelemes to be 12.5 million barrels of oil (mmbo) - 23.41% of this net ro Roxi.  The slight disappointment is that the Matrix broker note from December 2009 seemd to indicate gross recoverable resources of c. 25mmbo.

We can expect a further 3-6 wells to be drilled on BNG this year, and a further 895km2 of 3-D seismic to be shot over the southern portion of the block.

Ravninnoe

The initial production rate from Well #20 looks a bit low at 240bopd and calls into question the commerciality of the discovery, but this may improve as the well cleans up after the acid stimulation. 

Interestingly, there is a hint that Roxi and/or Canamens may end up purchasing a further stake in the Ravninnoe block from the Kazakh partners if they cannot fund the future work programme.

Galaz

There are five wells ready for production at a gross rate of some 1,200bopd, and state approval to begin pilot production is to be expected next month, with a reserves audit from McDaniel & Associates to come.  Well results from NK22 should be released in the next few weeks as the test programme looks poised to start.

Munaily

We can expect initial production of some 80bopd soon, ramping up to 300-400bopd hopefully before year end assuming the necessary approvals from the state authorities are forthcoming in a timely manner.


All in all, it is clear steady progress is being made across 4 of the assets, with the company being funded for the significant 2010 drilling campaign and cash flow now commencing from four separate fields.  But a nagging doubt about the commerciality of Ravninnoe.