News 
Planning Permission Granted for Appraisal Work
14th May 2010
Midmar Energy UK Ltd, MPX Resources Ltd’s partner in Block TQ54, Bidborough, Kent, has announced that it has received planning permission from Kent County Council to drill two appraisal wells and to carry out a 90 day extended well test. Licence PEDL248 was awarded to MPX and Midmar in the 13th UK Landward Licensing Round. Midmar have confirmed that preparatory work will commence shortly and that drilling is anticipated to take place during the first quarter of 2011.
Assignment of interest in UK Licences
16th March 2010
MPX North Sea Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of MPX Energy Limited) has assigned an interest of 35% in each of Licences P1606 (Block 3/3b) and P1633 (Blocks 211/11b & 16b) and a 70% interest of Licence P1646 (Block 9/9h) to Sorgenia E&P (UK) Limited. MPX retains a 30% interest in each Licence. Each assignment was part of an arrangement made with Sorgenia prior to the award of the Blocks in the 25th Licensing Round. The assignment of Licences P1606 and P1633 was completed, with DECC approval, on 1st March 2010, whilst P1646 was completed on 14th December 2009.
Offers invited for an interest in Licence P1684 (Block 3/23b)
17th December 2009
Block 3/23b was awarded as a Promote Licence in the UK 25th Licensing Round and is held 100% by Hannu North Sea Ltd. The first drill or drop phase expires in February 2011. Hannu has purchased reprocessed data over the Block and interpreted a Paleocene prospect that has been developed through a combination of well analysis and simultaneous inversion. An information memorandum is available for download here and a dataroom commences on 11th January 2010.
Marram Field: Appraisal Well Results
13th July 2009
Venture Production plc, whose subsidiary Venture North Sea Gas Ltd operates East Irish Sea Licence P1548, has announced that the Marram appraisal well, which was spudded on 1st July 2009 using the Ensco 92 jack-up rig, has proven gas in the eastern part of the field. The well reached a total measured depth of 2,020 ft on 9th July 2009 and encountered a gross gas column of 469 ft within the Ormskirk Sandstone. Downhole samples were taken to confirm the gas quality and the initial analysis indicates that the gas quality and the hydrocarbon gas in place (‘GIIP’) volume is within the pre-drill expectation range. The nitrogen content in the downhole samples is material but other fields in the same area have been successfully developed despite having high nitrogen content and processing facilities already exist in the local infrastructure.
Venture anticipates that a final evaluation will be completed over the next few weeks and is already reviewing potential development options. The Licence was awarded 100% to Hannu Exploration Ltd in the 24th Licensing Round and the Company now holds a 30% interest. Additionally it contains up to six additional Sherwood sandstone exploration leads.
Marram Well Spuds
1st July 2009
On Wednesday 1st July, Venture Production plc spudded the Marram Field appraisal well 110/4-2 with the Ensco 92. The well, which is anticipated to take 20 days to complete, is being drilled to assess the commerciality of the accumulation discovered in 1993 by well 110/4-1. Hannu Exploration Ltd has a 30% interest in Marram and the surrounding exploration acreage.
Acquisition of a Controlling Interest in MPX Energy Limited
10th June 2009
Sorgenia E&P S.p.A. ("Sorgenia") a subsidiary of Sorgenia S.p.A, the leading private Italian utility company, has secured a controlling interest in MPX Energy Limited through an acquisition of new shares. Whilst the transaction, which was completed on 10th June, will involve a restructure of the MPX Energy Board, the Company will continue to be led by the existing technical team as it looks to build on its 25th Licensing Round success.
MPX welcomes new directors Coen Leo, Fabio Zanobini and Federico Dal Poz to the MPX Energy Board, where they will join Doug Fenwick in his role as Managing Director and MPX’s existing Non Executive Director, Jon Wood.
All parties believe that combining Sorgenia’s financial and managerial resources with MPX’s technical strength will allow the Company to further its ambitions to grow a significant and balanced portfolio of upstream oil and gas assets for the benefit of all stakeholders.
South East Turkey Licence Withdrawals
14th April 2009
MPX Turkey B.V. has elected to withdraw from Turkish Licences AR/ARR/3695 and AR/ARR/4172 effective 30th April 2009. A seismic survey was shot and processed in December 2008 but failed to find a prospect and so alongside partners, JKX Turkey Ltd and Eureka Europe Ltd, MPX has withdrawn from the Licences rather than continue and drill a new well.
South East Turkey Seismic Acquisition
14th January 2009
Arar Petrol Ve Gaz Arama Uretim Pazarlama A.S., Operator of Exploration Licences AR/ARR/3695 and AR/ARR/4172 in the Bismil area of South East Turkey, recently completed the acquisition of an additional 73 kms of 2D seismic data over the licensed area. The new data is currently being processed and, when complete, will be utilised to gain a better understanding of the prospectivity of the Licences.
UKCS 25th Offshore Licensing Round Awards
12th November 2008
Two subsidiaries of MPX Limited have been offered interests in a total of nine Licences (eight Traditional and one Promote) covering ten Blocks in the 25th Offshore Licensing Round.
MPX North Sea Limited has been awarded operatorship of Block 9/9h. In addition, the Company has been awarded interests in Blocks 22/1a, 22/19c and 29/9d together with Venture North Sea Oil Limited; Blocks 16/6b and 20/7 with Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc.; and Blocks 3/3b, 211/11b and 211/16b with Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited and Revus Energy (E&P) Limited. Block 3/3b contains an undeveloped discovery which flowed 2,800 bopd on test.
A Promote Licence has been awarded to Hannu North Sea Limited over Block 3/23b.
Hannu Completes Farm-out of East Irish Sea Blocks
9th October 2008
Hannu Exploration Limited today completed a transaction with Venture North Sea Gas Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Venture Production plc. whereby Venture has taken a further 10% interest in Licence P1548 in return for a promoted share of the well cost.
MPX Energy awarded Block TQ54 Onshore UK
28th May 2008
The Secretary of State announced on 27th May that MPX Energy Limited has been awarded a Licence in the 13th UK Onshore Licensing Round. Block TQ54 (PEDL Licence No. 248) is located west of Tonbridge in Kent. MPX has a 30% interest in the Licence, together with Midmar Energy Onshore Limited (the Operator of the nearby Brockham Field) who has the remaining 70%. The partnership intends to reprocess existing seismic data on the Block.
Koyunlu-2 Well
13th March 2008
The Operator, Arar, has plugged and abandoned Koyunlu-2 after reaching a TD of 1,311 m and conducting two unsuccessful tests. A total of 125 kms of new seismic has now been acquired to enable the exploration effort to focus on deeper horizons.
Hannu Completes Farm-out of East Irish Sea Blocks
20th February 2008
Hannu Exploration Limited today completed their transaction with Venture North Sea Gas Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Venture Production plc. Venture has taken a 60% interest in Licence P1548 and intends to operate a well to appraise the 110/4-1 gas discovery in 2008 or 2009.
Koyunlu-2 Well Spudded
19th January 2008
Arar Petrol Ve Gaz Arama Uretim Pazarlama A.S., Operator of Exploration Licences AR/ARR/3695 and AR/ARR/4172 in the Bismil area of South East Turkey, spudded the Koyunlu-2 well at 1600 hrs GMT on 19th January 2008. It is being drilled as an appraisal well to Koyunlu-1 to test the Garzan and Mardin reservoirs. The well is expected to last in the region of 20 days. MPX Turkey B.V. has a 5% working interest.
Hannu Farms out East Irish Sea Blocks
15th January 2008
Hannu Exploration Limited has reached agreement with Venture North Sea Gas Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Venture Production plc, for Venture to acquire 60% of Hannu's 100% equity in Blocks 110/4 and 110/9b which contain the Marram gas discovery in the Morecambe Bay area of the East Irish Sea. Venture’s equity will be earned when an appraisal well is drilled in the East Irish Sea during 2008 or 2009. The assignment of interest and transfer of operatorship is subject to DBERR approval.
MPX completes Farm-in to SE Turkey Licences
10th January 2008
A subsidiary of MPX limited, MPX Turkey B.V. has farmed into two Exploration Licences (AR/ARR/3695 and AR/ARR/4172) in the Bismil area of South East Turkey. The Licences cover a total of 590 sq km in the foreland of the Zagros Foldbelt area, a prolific hydrocarbon province. MPX has acquired a 5% interest in the Licences from the Operator, Arar Petrol Ve Gaz Arama Uretim Pazarlama A.S. ARAR is a private Turkish exploration and production company and, after the farm in will hold, a 55% interest in each Licence.
The forward exploration programme comprises the acquisition of 120 kms of new seismic data and the drilling of an appraisal to the Koyunlu 1 well drilled in 2006.