Wintershall Dea hits major oil find offshore Mexico

Wintershall Dea has made a major oil discovery at the shallow-water Kan prospect on Block 30 in Mexico, the German oil and gas operator announced on Tuesday.

The find was drilled by the Borr Ran rig to depths of 3,320 metres and found more than 170 metres of net pay sandstone and high-quality oil in Upper Miocene reservoirs.

The find is expected to hold between 200 million and 300 million boe in place according to preliminary estimates.

The Kan find is located in water depths of around 50 metres on the Sureste Basin just 25 kilometres off the coast of the state of Tabasco. It is within the zone of other discoveries that Wintershall Dea holds stake in, including the Polok and Chinwol prospects on Block 29.

“The successful Kan discovery confirms the attractiveness of Block 30, complementing Wintershall Dea’s outstanding Mexican licence portfolio,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, Wintershall Dea’s chief technology officer and executive board member responsible for global exploration.

“It is a significant step to extending our footprint in Mexico and contributing to the development of a potential new hub in the shallow waters of the Sureste Basin.”

An appraisal plan to develop the field is expected to be sent to Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission by the end of July 2023.

Wintershall Dea operates Block 30 with a 40% stake alongside energy players Harbour Energy and Sapura OMV with 30% stakes each.