Another local article with a bit more information on drilling and timeline
http://www.evmailnews.com/oil-and-ga...icials-hopeful
ORMOC CITY – An oil and gas exploration project is currently ongoing at San Isidro, Leyte and local officials led by Mayor Allan Ang are upbeat that if it will turn out positive, this could be the town’s turning point from being a 4th class municipality to a progressive industrial town.
Mayor Ang, in a phone interview, said that the drilling is being done by the Philippine subsidiary of the Australian firm NorAsian Energy, Ltd. He said that seismic surveys done on the site shows that it had the highest potential, so far, of all sites tested in the country. The site is estimated to have 62-million barrels of oil, if the seismic surveys hold true.
The drilling is “in-land”, he said, at Barangay Bant-i of his town. He added that even as exploration is still being done, the barangay have already benefited from it because the company had to concrete the road for the smooth transport of their equipment.
Meanwhile, it was learned from a PIA newsfeed that NorAsian’s exploration project is covered by Service Contract No. 51 issued by the Department of Energy on July 8, 2005 yet.
Company representatives and the DOE, including representatives from the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, also faced the provincial board last February 8 during its regular session, to answer queries from the board members, including alleged complaints from the locals of Barangay Bant-i.
Board Member Roque Tiu, chairman of the Committee on Environment of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Leyte, led the discussions to shed light on the alleged complaints and for the body to be more informed of what the project is all about.
Representing NorAsian were chief operating officer Ruben Gaw, exploration advisor Freddie Rilleza, and the drilling manager Bert Garcia. From the DOE were Roland Meneses and Russ Mark Gamallo.
It was learned from NorAsian’s presentation that the company already started site preparation in November 2010 yet and that actual drilling starts on the 3rd week of March 2011. The drilling is expected to last for three weeks.
“Barring any unforeseen delays, drilling is expected to commence by early March of 2011 and will take approximately 27 days to complete,” the representatives of the NorAsian Energy said.
It was also explained that their service contract spans two areas – onshore Leyte in the north and the islands of Cebu and Bohol in the south.
It was further learned that NorAsian have already commissioned Desco, Inc. to deploy a land rig to be used for the exploration drilling. Desco will drill the Duhat-1 exploratory well in Northwest Leyte on the northern block of the service contract.
Desco is a local service provider of energy related businesses. The Duhat-1 well is designed to reach a total vertical depth of 1,000 meters.
The well will test the hydrocarbon potential of the San Isidro anticline “primarily in Miocene Tagnacot Formation limestone and sandstone targets” where a resource potential of up to 62 million barrels recoverable oil has been identified.
Meanwhile, the DOE and DENR officials present in the committee meeting assured the committee members that oil drilling is safe to our environment. They said it is just like drilling for water as the pipe is only small.
It was also learned that a dialogue-consultation is scheduled on February 15 at the affected barangay itself to be attended by NorAsian bigwigs and DOE representatives. Requested to attend the consultation are Board Member Rolando Piamonte and Joel Balano, OIC Leyte environment and natural resources officer. The SP will be informed of the result of the said consultation, Board Member Tiu said.
For his part, Mayor Allan Ang said that NorAsian has already been conducting a series of information and education seminars on the project all around town. By L. M. Jimenea with reports from PIA 8