EnCore Oil plc announces that drilling operations on the Breagh appraisal well on Southern North Sea block 42/13 have commenced.

The Breagh gas discovery was made in 1997 by well 42/13-2 drilled by Mobil, which encountered a 450 ft gas column and a net gas pay of approximately 68 ft within sandstones of the Lower Carboniferous Scremerston Formation. The well was cored and logged but tested at sub-commercial flow rates, believed to be due to formation damage that occurred during drilling and completion of the well.

The well is designed with the principal objective of achieving a test flow rate representative of the undamaged formation, which will be important in determining the commercial viability of the discovery.

The well is being drilled by the ENSCO 85 jack-up rig and is operated by Sterling Resources Limited, which holds a 50 per cent. interest in the licence. EnCore will fund 30 per cent. of the planned gas appraisal well to earn a 15 per cent. equity.