133 million barrels of oil estimated at Yam Hadera

December 5, 2011 by · 1 Comment 

Modiin Energy LP (TASE:MDIN.L), controlled by Tzahi Sultan and Nochi Dankner through IDB Development Corp. Ltd., today [Sunday] announced that Netherland, Sewell & Associates Inc. (NSAI) estimates that the offshore Yam Hadera license has a best estimate of gross recoverable reserves of 133 million barrels of oil and 1.4 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, with a geologic probability of success of 25-29%. For the sake of comparison, the Tamar reservoir has an estimated 9 TCF of gas and Leviathan has an estimated 16 TCF.

Modiin fully owns the Yam Hadera license, which comprises of three formations – Barnea, Shderot, and Zohar – in two sections, the northern and southern closures. The license is located 30 kilometers offshore between Hadera and Haifa. The license is valid through February 14, 2013. The survey covered a 485-square kilometer area and cost $4.4 million.

The low-end estimate is 49.7 million barrels of oil and the high-end estimate is 343.5 million barrels. The oil and gas are found in Cretaceous strata.

“We do not usually hold press conferences, but this time we decided to make an exception since the results from Yam Hadera are very significant,” IDB CEO Haim Gavrieli said this morning.

Sultan said, “We are currently one of the most liquid partnerships in the market. We are considering partnerships with local and foreign entities or remaining 100% private. I must say that we have had many offers for partnerships, some of which were quite surprising.”

On Wednesday, Modiin will provide the Ministry of Infrastructure with a drilling proposal, and will sign an agreement with the drilling rig by February 1. Drilling is slated to begin by June 1. The company estimates the cost of drilling at NIS 70-100 million.

Modiin Energy’s share price rose 1.6% in early trading today to NIS 0.38, giving a market cap of NIS 720 million.

Modiin Energy’s share price rose 1.6% in early trading today to NIS 0.38, giving a market cap of NIS 720 million.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on December 4, 2011

Myra, Sarah drilling could start in December

July 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Modiin Energy’s partners previously announced that drilling would begin in January or February 2012.

24 July 11 10:44, Globes’ correspondent
Myra and Sarah license-holder Modiin Energy LP (TASE:MDIN.L) today notified the TASE that the rig for the drilling of the exploratory wells at the licenses will become available in December, after the rig completes three other wells, two in Israel and one in Cyprus.Earlier this month, Modiin Energy’s partner in the licenses, Israel Land Development Company Energy Ltd. (TASE: IE) announced that drilling of the exploratory wells by the Noble Homer Ferrington, owned by Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE) well would probably begin in January or February 2012. Today, Modiin Energy said that this rig would be available from December 1. 

The Myra and Sarah leases have a best estimate of 6.5 trillion feet of natural gas with a 54% chance of geological success, but the range between the high and low estimates are quite large.

Modiin Energy owns 19.3% of Myra and Sarah, ILDC Energy and its affiliates own 48.4%, drilling operator GeoGlobal Resources Inc. (AMEX: GGR) owns 5% through its Indian unit, Israel Petroleum Company Inc. (IPC) owns 13.1%, and Blue Water Oil and Water Exploration Ltd. owns 8.8%.

Modiin Energy’s share price fell 2.1% in morning trading today to NIS 0.046, giving a market cap of NIS 902 million, but ILDC Energy’s share price rose 2.4% to NIS 1.13, giving a market cap of NIS 932 million.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com – on July 24, 2011

 

Israel’s Biblical Oil Explorers

March 27, 2010 by · 3 Comments 

THE SEARCH FOR OIL IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL

A BIBLICAL TREASURE HUNT

By Philip Mandelker

APPENDIX

SCRIPTURALLY INSPIRED / INFLUENCED PETROLEUM

EXPLORATION IN ISRAEL

_______________________

1.         Company: Asher Oil Company

Founder: Wesley Hancock. California based. A family company was active in oil and gas exploration in the United States.

Scriptural Basis: Blessing of Asher in Deuteronomy and story of Elijah’s sacrifice in I Kings.

Period of Activity: Early-middle 1960s.

Area of Activity: North-east flank of Mt. Carmel overlooking the plain of the Kishon Stream.

Primary Activity: Drilling of two wells:

(i) Asher #1: 1963 – drilled to 2,391 meters (7,845 ft) to a target in the Middle Jurassic. Results: Dry.

(ii) Asher #2: 1965 – drilled to 1,314 meters (4,311 ft) to a target in the Middle Jurassic. Results: Dry

Related Non-Scripturally Inspired Drilling:

In 1975, Sonol, a major Israeli gasoline marketing company reentered the Asher #2 well and deepened it to 2,596 meters (8,517 ft) to a target in the Early Jurassic. In 1980, OEL, an Israeli-government exploration company drilled the Asher #3 near the first two Asher wells to 574 meters (1,883 ft) to a Cretaceous target. Both these wells were dry.

2.         Company: Energy Exploration Inc.

Founder: Andy Sorelle. Texas based petroleum engineer and wildcatter.

Scriptural Basis: Blessing of Asher in Deuteronomy

Period of Activity: First half of 1980s.

Area of Activity: Coastal plain between Mt. Carmel and the Mediterranean Sea, specifically in the area of the town of Atlit.

Primary Activity: Drilling of one well in two stages:

(i) Atlit #1: 1981 – drilled to 5,273 meters (17,301 ft) to a target in the Early Jurassic. Results: Dry

(ii) Atlit #1 Deep: 1982-1983 – deepened the Atlit #1 to 6,531 meters (21,428 ft) to target in Late Triassic. Results: asphalt and then light oil shows in cuttings before well was lost for technical reasons.

3.         Company: Moriah Exploration

Founder: Gilman Hill. Colorado based geoscientist active in oil and gas exploration and developer of exploration technology.

Scriptural Basis: Story of Elijah’s sacrifice in I Kings and the Blessing of Asher in Deuteronomy.

Period of Activity: Early and mid-1980s.

Area of Activity: Mt. Carmel near the traditional site of the Elijah sacrifice.

Primary Activity: Drilling of two wells in 1980 and 1986:

(i) Elijah #1: 1980 – drilled to 2,682 meters (8,800 ft) to a target in the Middle Jurassic. Results: Dry.

(ii) Elijah #2: 1986 – drilled to 651 meters (2,136 ft) to a target in the Cenomanian. Results: Dry.

4.         Company: Ness Energy

Founder: Harold “Hayseed” Stephens. A Texas oil and gas explorationist and operator.

Scriptural Basis: Genesis stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and a long series of scriptural references in various books of the Old Testament.

Period of Activity: 1980s and late 1990s-2001.

Area of Activity: Area surrounding the southwest quadrant of the Dead Sea and adjacent areas.

Primary Activity: Participation in drilling of one well in 1985; acquisition of certain exploration licenses in the late 1990s. The well, the Har Sedom #1 was targeted to be drilled to about 3,500 meters about 11,500 ft), but was lost for technical reasons at 1,818 meters (5,965 ft) in the Pliocene. The exploration licenses were lost following the failure of Ness to meet its obligations under the licenses to commence the drilling of wells on the license areas.

Related Non-Scripturally Inspired Drilling Activity

The Har Sedom #1 project and well were developed and operated by an Israeli commercial oil exploration company, Seismica. Ness Energy held a minority working interest (about 15%) in the well.

5.         Company: Hoshana Oil Company

Founder: Bernard Coffindaffer. West Virginia based evangelical minister and missionary.

Scriptural Basis: Blessings of Asher, Zebulon and Issachar in Deuteronomy

Period of Activity: Early 1990s

Area of Activity: Southern flank of Mt. Carmel and the Valley of Jezreel just east of the South-eastern flank of Mt. Carmel.

Primary Activity: Acquisition of an exploration license and reprocessing and analysis of seismic data. License lapsed with no progress made towards drilling of well.

6.         Company: Camberly Exploration

Founder: Lyle Harron. Canadian oil and gas explorationist.

Scriptural Basis: Blessings of Asher in Deuteronomy

Period of Activity: Early-middle 1990s.

Area of Activity: Coastal plain between Mt. Carmel and the Mediterranean Sea.

Primary Activity: Drilling of one well:

(i) Atlit #2: 1996 – drilled to 1,633 meters (5,388 ft) to a target in the Early Cretaceous. Results: Dry.

7.         Company: Givot Olam Oil Exploration

Founder: Tovia Luskin. Russian born and educated geophysicist, active in oil and gas exploration in Canada and Australia, before moving to Israel.

Scriptural Basis: The Blessings of Joseph in Genesis and Deuteronomy

Period of Activity: 1990s to date

Area of Activity: Eastern portion of Sharon Plain between Netanya and Modiin

Primary Activity: Drilling of three wells commencing in 1994:

(i) Meged #2: 1994 – drilled to 5,200 meters (17,061 ft) to a target in the Triassic. Results: 400 API Silurian aged oil recovered from the Middle Triassic.

(ii) Meged #3: 2000 – drilled to 4,742 meters (15,683 ft) to a target in the Triassic. Results: Oil and gas shows in the Middle Triassic, but reservoir of very poor quality (very low porosity and permeability.)

(iii) Meged #4: 2002/3 – drilled to 4,919 meters (16,139 ft) to a target in the Triassic. Results: 360 API Silurian aged oil recovered from the Middle Triassic. Attempts in 2005 to drill a horizontal bore-hole in the well in an attempt to recover the oil which is located in tight reservoir rock failed apparently for technical reasons, with the well abandoned following loss of equipment in the horizontal bore.

Plans underway to drill another Meged well and attempt to develop the Meged field discovery, which was recognized by the Israel Petroleum Commissioner in 2004.

8.         Company: Zion Oil & Gas, Inc.

Founder: John Brown. Michigan and Texas based businessman with roots in the machine-tool industry and active in building contracting sectors.

Scriptural Basis: The Blessings of Joseph in Genesis and Deuteronomy.

Period of Activity: 1990s to date.

Area of Activity: Manasseh hills and Sharon plain from the southern flanks of Mt. Carmel to Netanya.

Primary Activity: Drilling of a well in 2005:

(i) Ma’anit #1: (Re-entry) 2005 – deepening of previously abandoned Ma’anit #1 from 2,335 meters (7,661 ft) to 4,719 meters (15,483 ft) to targets in the Middle and Early Triassic. Results: The company announced that during drilling and completion operations, the well had numerous significant oil and gas shows in a 2,100-foot interval.

Analysis of the results of the well is continuing and future activity, including designing comprehensive completion procedure and drilling of an appraisal well being considered.

Related Non-Scripturally Inspired Drilling Activity:

The Ma’anit #1 was originally drilled to 2,335 meters (7,661 ft) in 1995 by an Israeli commercial oil exploration company, Sdot Neft. Though originally targeted to 4,500 meters (14,765 ft), it was abandoned as a dry hole after Sdot Neft ran out of money

(for a PDF Download of Philip Mandelker’s entire study go to: http://www.oilinisrael.net/resources/biblical-treasure-hunt-free-pdf)

‘Black Gold’ Rush Hits Israel’s Stock Market

January 22, 2010 by · 2 Comments 

PetroleumRights15_10_09Geogr

The Israeli stock exchange (TASE) closed up yesterday. One of the shining stars in Israel’s trading economy? Oil and gas companies. Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported today:

“Over here, if anything’s hot it’s the oil and gas sector. After having gained 2,470% in the past four months, units of oil exploration partnership Modi’in rose another 9.1% yesterday. The company pulled off a NIS 20 million rights issue that took it of the Maintenance List of companies not in compliance with Tel Aviv Stock Exchange listing rules.” (read Haaretz article)