By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 17 -- Pebercan Inc., Montreal, production-tested an indicated discovery well near the western edge of Block 7 on the North Cuba heavy oil belt east of Havana.
The Tarara-100 well, 50 km west of Canasi and Seboruco oil fields, stabilized at 700 b/d of 16° gravity oil through a 12-mm choke.
The oil quality is similar to that found last year at Santa Cruz and is much better than that from Canasi and Seboruco, the company said (see map, OGJ, Jan. 10, 2005, p. 31).
"The well has found a new shallow field different from the conventional objective of Veloz carbonates," Pebercan said without identifying the producing formation.
Drilled from shore, the well is drilled to 3,465 m measured depth to the Tarara prospect in the Bay of Cardenas.
Pebercan is "running long-term production and pressure tests to assess the extent and quality of this new potential field, which is at the limit of the available seismic data," the company said.
"Depending on the results of these tests, an evaluation program will be prepared to develop this new oil reservoir. However, pending the result of the current surveys and tests, there is still nothing to confirm that the productive structure revealed can have a significant impact on the company's reserves," Pebercan said.
The company plans to integrate results of the Tarara studies with a new 3D seismic interpretation before it drills Guanabo, the next structure east of Tarara.
Other wells
Meanwhile, 20 km east of Tarara, the Santa Cruz-300 well stabilized at 1,000 b/d of 19° gravity oil through an 8-mm choke. Much higher rates are believed possible after a second surface separator is installed.
Pebercan and state Cubapetroleo SA (Cupet) drew up a development plan for Santa Cruz that calls for drilling four to five development and two delineation wells in 2006.
Separately, Seboruco-101 started production on Dec. 13, 2005, at a steady 800 b/d from the Veloz. Seboruco-13 on the western edge of the structure extended the field and stabilized at 1,000 b/d.
The 2006 firm drilling program, besides the six to seven wells at Santa Cruz, calls for two wells at Seboruco and one to assess the western extent of Canasi field. An optional program would add one well each at Santa Cruz and Seboruco, four at Tarara, and two at Guanabo.
The budgets are $111 million and $183 million, respectively, facilitated by Cupet in January 2006 having fully settled receivables due Pebercan for several years.
