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Bhp Billiton Plc - Bhp Billiton Announces Knotty Head Discovery In Gulf Of
Mexico
BHP Billiton Plc
Share code: BIL
Isin: GB0000566504
NEWS RELEASE
Date 20 December 2005
Number 52/05
BHP BILLITON ANNOUNCES KNOTTY HEAD DISCOVERY IN GULF OF MEXICO
BHP Billiton today announced a discovery at the Knotty Head exploration well
located in Green Canyon Block 512, approximately 170 miles southeast of New
Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.
Knotty Head is believed to be the deepest hydrocarbon discovery to date in the
Gulf of Mexico, located in water depths of approximately 3,500 feet, with the
initial wellbore drilled to total depth of more than 34,000 feet. The well
encountered more than 500 feet of net oil pay.
"This is a very encouraging result," said BHP Billiton Group President Energy,
Philip Aiken. "We will be working with our partners to determine next steps,
including the drilling of a sidetrack from this wellbore to further delineate
the lateral extent of the oil sands we"ve found thus far."
BHP Billiton holds a 25 percent interest in Knotty Head. Other partners include
Chevron, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Nexen Petroleum USA Inc., a wholly
owned subsidiary of Nexen Inc. Each partner holds a 25 percent interest in the
block. Chevron is the operator of the well, which is being drilled with the
Transocean drillship Discoverer Spirit and Nexen is the designated operator of
the prospect.
BHP Billiton has a significant deepwater position in the Gulf of Mexico with
interests in nearly 450 lease blocks. Assets in the Gulf of Mexico include Mad
Dog, which commenced production earlier this year, and the Atlantis and Neptune
fields, which are currently in development. The company also has deepwater
discoveries under appraisal at Cascade, Chinook and Shenzi.
Further information on BHP Billiton can be found on our Internet site:
http://www.bhpbilliton.com
Australia United Kingdom
Jane Belcher, Investor Relations Mark Lidiard, Investor & Media
Tel: +61 3 9609 3952 Mobile: +61 Relations
417 031 653 Tel: +44 20 7802 4156 Mobile: +44
email: 7769 934 942
Jane.H.Belcher@bhpbilliton.com email:
Mark.Lidiard@bhpbilliton.com
Samantha Evans, Media Relations Ariane Gentil, Media Relations
Tel: +61 3 9609 2898 Mobile: +61 Tel: +44 20 7802 4177 Mobile: +44
400 693 915 78 81 51 8715
email: email:
Samantha.Evans@bhpbilliton.com Ariane.Gentil@bhpbilliton.com
United States South Africa
Tracey Whitehead, Investor & Media Alison Gilbert, Investor Relations
Relations Tel: SA +27 11 376 2121 or UK +44
Tel: US +1 713 599 6100 or UK +44 20 7802 4183
20 7802 4031 email:
Mobile: +44 7917 648 093 Alison.Gilbert@bhpbilliton.com
email:
Tracey.Whitehead@bhpbilliton.com
Date: 20/12/2005 02:25:58 PM Produced by the JSE SENS Department
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