28-01-02 Peruvian state oil company Perupetro expects 10 wildcats to be drilled this year, four in the jungle region and six on the north-western coast. Last year, all four Peruvian exploratory wells were dry but 32 development wells were drilled.

-- A unit of Repsol-YPF, Repsol Exploration Peru, will drill the first well in central jungle Block 35. The well is dubbed Mashansha.
-- Argentina's Pluspetrol, which last year produced an average 35,400 bpd on block 1-AB, plans a wildcat in a new area of Carmen Este field.
-- US company Burlington Resources will drill its first exploration well on central northern jungle Block 87.
-- Maple Gas Corporacion del Peru, a unit of US group Maple, will drill on central jungle Block 31-E, where it recently completed reprocessing 722 km of 2D seismic data.
-- Olympic Peru will drill two exploration wells on Block 13, where it discovered a gas field that will begin production this year.
-- Argentina's Perez Companc will drill an exploration well on northern coast Block 16.
-- Peru's GMP will drill one explorer on northern coast Block 14.
Information about other wildcats was not available.

Separately, Perupetro reached agreement with Peruvian company Petrotech for an exploration contract for offshore block Z-6. Final approval is pending. Repsol is negotiating an offshore exploration contract in block Z-4; a unit of US company Harken Energy is negotiating a contract for offshore block Z-5; and US oil company Advantage Resources International for northern jungle block 70. Perupetro will soon put Blocks 56, 57, and 58 neighbouring the Camisea natural gas fields up for auction.