HOUSTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Results from a natural gas well in the Troubadour prospect in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico are better than expected, Noble Energy said.
Noble announced it made a natural gas discovery while drilling in the Troubadour exploration prospect in more than 7,000 feet of water in the Rio Grande complex of the Gulf of Mexico.
The company estimated the size of the discovery at between 50 million and 100 million barrels of oil equivalent.
"Results from the well have provided critical new information that indicates a greater than previously predicted oil recovery in the Rio Grande complex," Susan Cunningham, Noble's senior vice president for Gulf of Mexico operations, said in a statement Wednesday.
Noble said the well would be abandoned for future development. The company said it expected to start production at the Troubadour by the end of 2015.
