Project Details


Gunflint (Freedom)

OIL & GAS FIELD

Field Name	Gunflint (Freedom)	Discovery Date	Oct 2008

Block	Mississippi Canyon 948	Reserve Type	Oil

Current Status	Discovery (Appraised)	Production Start

Water Depth	1,860 m / 6,138 ft


Description

Discovered in October 2008, the Gunflint (Freedom) prospect is located in deepwater US Gulf of Mexico waters measuring 6,100 feet (1,860 meters). About 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of the Louisiana coast and 160 miles (257 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans, the oil field, sometimes referred to as Gunflint, is located on Mississippi Canyon Block 948. Drilled by the Transocean semisubmersible Deepwater Horizon to a total depth of 29,280 feet (8,927 meters), the Freedom #2 well discovered more than 550 feet (168 meters) of net hydrocarbon-bearing sands from the Middle and Lower Miocene reservoirs. BP served as the operator of the discovery well. A previous well was drilled by the same rig on the Freedom prospect in May 2008, but it did not encounter commercial hydrocarbons. Acquired in the March 2006 OCS Lease Sale 198, Mississippi Canyon Block 948 is operated by Noble Energy, which holds 37.5% interest. Partners in the block include BP with 25%, Samson Offshore with 25% and Marathon Oil with 12.5%. BP believes the field spans both Mississippi Canyon Block 948 and its neighbor, Mississippi Canyon Block 992. BHP Billiton serves as the operator of the second unexplored block with 32.25% interest, and BP holds the remaining 67.75% interest in it. More exploration through appraisal drilling is required to define the size and commerciality of the field.


Activities


Noble Anticipates Second Gunflint Appraisal
Date: Oct. 2012 Type: Appraisal Operations
Noble Energy expects the Ensco 8501 (UDW semisub) to be available to drill the second Gunflint appraisal well in early 2013 after it finishes exploratory drilling at the Big Bend prospect in the US Gulf of Mexico. Gunflint, situated in Mississippi Canyon Block 948, was appraised and confirmed commercial earlier in the year and represents the company's largest Gulf of Mexico discovery to-date. The discovery well intersected several reservoirs netting more than 550 feet of high-quality pay. Gunflint is believed to hold up to 500 Mmboe.



Noble to Appraise Gunflint
Date: Dec. 2011 Type: Appraisal Operations
Appraisal operations should commence on the Gunflint discovery in the near future. The operator plans to use the ENSCO 8501 (UDW drillship) to appraise the find to help determine the resource range of the discovery before final development planning and sanctioning of the field occurs. A discovery was made on Gunflint in October 2008. Noble Energy operates the oil discovery, which is located on Mississippi Canyon Block 948 in the GOM.



MMS Receives EP for Proposed Drilling at Gunflint Field
Date: Sep. 2009 Type: Status Update
An Exploration Plan has been filed with MMS for proposed drilling at the Gunflint (aka Freedom) field. Noble Energy proposes to drill and complete four well locations (Location F, G, H and I) on Mississippi Canyon Blocks 948 and 949 utilizing a moored semisub. The company anticipates it will take approximately 100 days to drill and 55 days to complete each well. Noble Energy took over as operator towards the end of 2008 and now holds a 37.5% working interest. Other interest holders are BP (25%), Marathon (12.5%), and Samson (25%).



BP Finds Oil at GOM's Deepwater Freedom Prospect
Date: Oct. 2008 Type: New Discovery
BP announced an oil discovery at its Freedom prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico Mississippi Canyon block 948. The Freedom well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 29,280 feet (8,927 meters) and encountered greater than 550 net feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands in Middle and Lower Miocene reservoirs. Appraisal will be required to determine the size and commerciality of the discovery.



Noble Provides Drilling Update on its Gunflint/Freedom Prospect
Date: Jul. 2008 Type: Status Update
Noble Energy is participating in the current drilling of the Gunflint/Freedom prospect at Mississippi Canyon Block 948. The well is expected to reach its proposed depth of 31,000 feet later in the third quarter. The Company has a 37.5% working interest in the prospect.



BP Spuds Freedom Well
Date: May. 2008 Type: Status Update
BP has spud its Freedom prospect on Mississippi Canyon 948 using the Deepwater Horizon.


Status History

Gunflint (Freedom)

Discovery (Appraised) - May 15, 2012 to -
Appraisal Drilling - Nov 30, 2011 to May 14, 2012 Noble Energy is moving the ENSCO 8501 (UDW semisub) to its Gunflint field on Mississippi Canyon 948 to drill the #3 appraisal well. Noble Energy is drilling this appraisal well to help determine the resource range before final planning and sanctioning. The current resource range is between 70 to 500 million barrels of oil equivalent. One to two additional appraisal wells will need to be drilled to fully evaluate the field.
Discovery (Drilled) - Oct 2008 to Nov 29, 2011 Freedom well #2 on MC948 was drilled to a total depth of 29,280 feet and encountered greater than 550 net feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands in Middle and Lower Miocene reservoirs. Appraisal will be required to determine the size & commerciality of the discovery.
Exploratory Drilling - May 2008 to Oct 2008 Deepwater Horizon is currently drilling MC948 #1 & 2
Bright Spot - Jul 01, 2006 to May 2008 Noble & Samson won MC948 at the 3/15/06 MMS Central GOM Lease Sale #198 with a bid of 20217600.00; Lease expiration 6/30/2016.

	N. America - US GOM