Tau-1, if it had at least provided good evidence of a thick, good-quality sand or two, would have been a success, even without being a discovery. It would have eliminated the risk that keeps most companies from drilling deep, subsalt wells on the shelf ie. the apparent lack of reservoir. But that is all over now. As someone who saw the data coming up from the drill-string instruments on the Tau well, I have no doubt that there will be a ton of reservoir there if they drill another well and keep it under control. Whether it is the M3 sand or something else, is really irrelevant. Those names are just a convenience so everyone knows what is being talked about. I know that John Seitz was really floored by what happened with Tau, because if they just could have kept drilling for another day or two, the critical evidence of the worth of the GulfSlope play concept would have been there for all to see. I believe there actually was enough evidence collected, especially at the very bottom of the hole, to provide strong reasons to drill again. But I’m not the one they have to convince, and the people with money apparently don’t see what I see. And here we are. It is entirety possible that the GulfSlope play oil, which amounts to billions of barrels, will stay in the ground forever, because a bunch of people with a misguided prejudice are afraid to take a chance.
Sorry, I sort of went off at a tangent there. I think what you wanted to know is how many reservoirs might be penetrated by a well. The answer is a number of them, and they will keep coming to whatever depth anyone is able to get. Enough reservoirs is not a problem.
