Jordan Times
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Sonoran Energy sees potential
of oil reserves in Azraq area
By Khaled Nuaimat
AMMAN — Work and technical studies carried out by a US exploration and
development company point to the availability of up to 30 million barrels of oil
reserves in the Azraq area.
“The Azraq bloc holds the potential of a higher volume of oil reserves,”
according to Ala' Nuseibah, executive vice president of Middle East, North
Africa and Caspian Operation for Sonoran Energy.
Noting that oil is under-explored in Jordan, Nuseibah said Sonoran is now
confident that there is a sizeable untapped oil resource in the Azraq area of
Jordan.”
He added that Sonoran has been coordinating its efforts with the Natural
Resources Authority (NRA).
“We have rearranged and analysed data covering the past 25 years by using new
technology. Consequently, we have decided to sign a production sharing agreement
(PSA) with the government for the Azraq bloc,” he said
Under the agreement, Sonoran would take 60 per cent of the oil production and
the rest will be for the government.
Based on three new dimensions seismic data, Sonoran plans to explore for
additional fields in Azraq, Nuseibah indicated
The first step in the implementation process will include copying all the
available NRA data on the Azraq Bloc by the second quarter of 2006 at a cost of
around $1 million.
Drilling the first well would begin by the second quarter of 2007 and the second
well by the fourth quarter of the same year. “Eventually we would end with a
study to identify the commercial visibility of the production,” the Sonoran
official said.
Nuseibah elaborated that Jordan has been divided into nine exploration blocs:
Northern Highlands, West Safawi, East Safawi, Risha Gas Field, Azraq, Dead Sea,
North Sirhan, South Sirhan and Al Jafr and South Jordan.
He predicted possible oil reserves in other blocs noting the PSA agreement
between the government and PETREL in East Safawi.
According to Nuseibah, big oil companies hunt for areas with major oil reserves
unlike small firms, such as Sonoran, which would be encouraged and motivated to
explore for smaller reserves.
“We do not expect Jordan to produce oil as much as Saudi Arabia or Kuwait but we
believe that there is a substantial reserve of oil in Azraq which would help the
government lower the burden of oil bill,” he stated.
Sonoran's vice president concluded by saying: “We would not talk about a major
oil discovery in the country before the year 2008.”