Key Points
- PPL discovers oil and gas at Dhok Sultan-03 in Attock.
- Well drilled to 5,815 metres; targeted Patala and Lockhart formations.
- Tested flows: up to 2,113 bpd oil and 4.13 MMscfd gas.
- PPL holds 75% stake, GHPL 25%; appraisal to follow.
KARACHI: Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has announced a fresh oil and gas discovery in Punjab’s Attock district, where its Dhok Sultan-03 well has tested promising flows from deep carbonate rock formations.
The company informed the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Thursday that drilling at Dhok Sultan-03 reached a depth of 5,815 metres after the well was stubbed in January this year. According to the filing, production testing confirmed hydrocarbon flows from the Patala and Lockhart formations, both are part of the naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs in the Potwar region.
Initial testing on a 32/64-inch choke produced 1,469 barrels of oil per day along with 2.56 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, at a wellhead pressure of 1,147 pounds per square inch. A wider choke of 48/64 inch increased the flow to 2,113 barrels of oil and 4.13 million cubic feet of gas per day, though at a lower pressure of 813 psi.
According to company officials, the results are “highly encouraging” at the second major discovery in the Dhok Sultan Block, operated by PPL with a 75 per cent working interest. Government Holdings Private Limited holds the remaining 25 per cent.
Industry observers noted that the well represents one of the deepest successful oil finds in naturally fractured carbonate formations in the Potwar basin. Analysts say the discovery could help ease Pakistan’s heavy reliance on imported energy, but stressed that long-term output will depend on further testing and appraisal before commercial production begins.
In February, Mari Energies, a Pakistani hydrocarbon exploration company, announced the discovery of new oil and gas reserves in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Initial testing indicated a gas flow rate of 12.96 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) and approximately 20 barrels per day (bbl/d) of condensate.
