Inpex to Drill Oil, Gas Well Offshore Japan

Inpex Corporation on Thursday announced it will one exploratory oil and gas well offshore Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures.

The well has been commissioned by the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan for the agency’s “Heisei 26~28 Domestic Offshore Drilling Program in Japan”.

At the current drilling location, the Japanese government in 2011 conducted a geophysical survey from the seismic survey vessel Shigen as part of its Domestic Oil and Natural Gas Exploration Project, and where Inpex conducted a 3D geophysical survey in 2013 based on the earlier survey.

The company plans to drill the exploratory well from May 2016 until August. In preparation for this, the company will undertake a site survey in August 2015 to map the subsea surface and observe currents at the location.

In Japan, Inpex as operator conducts development and production activities at the Minami-Nagaoka gas field in Niigata Prefecture, one of the country’s largest gas fields, as well as oil and natural gas production activities in Akita and Chiba prefectures.