By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 28 – The Apamate-1X exploratory well in the La Creciente block in Colombia’s Lower Magdalena basin has yielded dry gas from the Miocene Porquero formation, said Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., Toronto.
The zone, originally correlated as the deeper Cienaga de Oro formation that produces in the area, flowed at more than 24 MMscfd of gas with 3,730 psig wellhead flowing pressure on a 32/64-in. choke from perforations at 11,139-142 ft, 11,146-150 ft, and 11,156-60 ft.
The prospective interval is now interpreted to be a sequence of onlapping, gas-bearing sands at the base of the Lower Porquero formation. Petrophysical data show 17% average porosity and 23% water saturation in a 53-ft gross interval with a 70% net-to-gross ratio.
The well, on the LCA-South prospect, went to a total depth of 12,012 ft measured depth in pre-Oligocene basement. Test results are similar to the behavior of La Creciente A and D reservoirs and indicate that the size of the reservoir is promising, the company said.
The findings confirm the prospect’s stratigraphic nature, and postdrill maps associated with the gas sandstones from the seismic inversion show an acreage that goes from a minimum of 1,124 acres to a maximum of 5,266 acres and a gas-water contact that is yet to be established.
Pacific Rubiales this year will drill two appraisal wells 500 ft downdip where the seismic inversion exhibited the strongest anomalies. The company is expanding La Creciente field facilities to process up to 150 MMscfd in three modules of 50 MMscfd each at a total cost of $42 million.
The company is well advanced in the gas-export project to the Caribbean where a potential market of 330-380 MMscfd has been identified. For that, it is analyzing two transport technologies, small scale LNG and compressed natural gas.