By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug. 4 -- A consortium led by Vaalco Energy Inc., Houston, has started up the Etame ET-6H well off southern Gabon and tied it in to Etame oil field's floating production, storage, and offloading vessel.
The well is producing 6,100 b/d of oil through a 1-in. choke from Cretaceous Gamba sandstone. It was drilled horizontally through the upper portion of the Gamba for 460 m and completed with a gravel-packed liner. The well was completed at the highest point of any well in the reservoir, Vaalco said.
The well brings total field production to 24,000 b/d. Over the next few days the consortium said it would "evaluate the effect of the well on existing wells in the pool before making further adjustments to field production rate."
Vaalco next plans to drill two wells to develop the Avouma-South Tchibala discoveries in the Etame Marin permit area, south of Etame field (OGJ Online, July 21, 2004). The consortium has begun construction of a production platform for Avouma-South Tchibala development and plans installation during second quarter 2006. These wells are expected to add 10,000 b/d to production.
Vaalco's Africa Vaalco Energy Inc. unit is operator and holds a 28.07% interest in the field. Other consortium partners are PanAfrican Energy Gabon Corp.—a subsidiary of PanOcean Energy Corp. Ltd., St. Helier, Jersey—which owns a 31.36% working interest; Sasol Petroleum West Africa (Ltd.) 27.75%; Sojitz Etame Ltd. 2.98%; Manila-based PetroEnergy Resources Corp. 2.34%; and Tullow Oil PLC's Energy Africa Gabon unit 7.5%.