ABERDEEN, UK – Apache (NYSE:APA) has drilled a productive extension well from the Beryl field in the UK central North Sea. The company assumed operatorship of the field from ExxonMobil in 2011.

B72 was drilled as a deviated well from the Beryl Bravo platform, logging a total of 619 ft MD (305 ft TVD) of net oil pay in three separate Jurassic reservoir units.

The well was completed in the Beryl-I reservoir, and started producing 11,625 b/d of oil and 13.1 MMcf/d of gas.

“We’re very excited about this well because we’ve found virgin reservoir pressure in two of three zones containing more than 300 ft [91 m] of net true vertical pay,” said Jim House, regional vice president and managing director of Apache North Sea.

“This is one of the best wells drilled in the past 10 years in the Beryl field, and we expect it to open up further development opportunities.”

Apache says finding the Beryl-1 reservoir in a fault block at original field pressures within the Beryl field underlines the complexity, but also the remaining potential of the field. It plans to acquire a new 3D seismic survey this summer, the first on the field since 1997.

5/16/2012