Lessons Learned From Drilling Horizontal Wells on Didon Field, Offshore Tunisia

Abstract

The Didon field is located offshore Tunisia in the Pelagian Basin. It was discovered in 1976, and first production began in 1998. Following a decline in production from initial development wells, the latest phase of development drilling began upon commissioning of the production platform in 2006. Horizontal wells drilled in this latest development phase have resulted in production benefits. To date, six horizontal wells have been drilled on the field using various drilling techniques to optimize drilling efficiency and wellbore placement. Using wells drilled to date, this paper outlines the challenges involved in developing the Didon field. It describes lessons learned from application of the different drilling technologies together with the value of pre-well geological modelling and real-time geosteering techniques.