Colombia
Petrominerales Ltd., Calgary, said it resumed production testing in January 2013 at its Tatama horizontal well in Colombia's Llanos basin, where the company operates the Rio Ariari, Chiguiro Oeste, and Chiguiro Este blocks.
Since then, the well has produced more than 25,000 bbl of 9° gravity oil from the Mirador formation, demonstrating a production methodology that supports proceeding towards commercialization, the company said.
Once maximum available pump rate was achieved, Petrominerales produced the well at a stabilized average of 556 b/d for a 28-day period with 86% average water cut and a 30% drawdown. During the test, the company observed an improving productivity index and a corresponding improvement in inflow efficiency, demonstrating positive reservoir response.
As a result, Petrominerales is reequipping the well with a larger pump to test for 48 more days, to the limit of the existing water disposal permit. Then it will drill a second horizontal well in the Mochelo area to confirm the southern extension of the oil pool and test the productivity of a more optimally designed horizontal well that should provide the basis for a first phase commercial development.
Indonesia
Pan Orient Energy Corp., Calgary, has abandoned the Shinta-1 exploratory well on the Batu Gajah PSC in south-central Sumatra, Indonesia. It will move the rig to the Buana-1 location.
Pan Orient, operator with 77% working interest, drilled Shinta-1 to 6,297 ft measured depth and encountered oil shows from 1,300 ft to total depth.
A fluid sample containing 120 ml of oil and 820 ml of water was recovered from a sandstone at 5,758 ft in the primary target Lower Talang Akar formation. However, open-hole wireline logs, mud logs, and pressure data and fluid samples indicate no commercial zones.
Shinta-1 was drilled for an estimated $3.4 million, 29% below the government-approved AFE.
Buana-1 is an updip appraisal of the 2011 NTO-1 gas discovery. It targets gas in Lower Talang Akar sands and oil in Upper Talang Akar and Gumai sands.
Iraq
The Kurdistan Regional Government has awarded the Qara Dagh block to Chevron Corp.
The former holders drilled the block's first exploratory well, which confirmed the presence of an active petroleum system but failed to establish commercial rates. The group agreed to relinquish the block in late 2012 (OGJ Online, Feb. 14, 2013).
The former owners were Calgary independents Niko Resources Ltd., operator with a 49% interest, Vast Exploration Inc. 25%, and Groundstar Resources Ltd. 6%. The KRG had a 20% carried interest.
Niko, Vast, and Groundstar relinquished their interests in exchange for proceeds equal to the carrying amount of the asset. Niko Resources said it expects to receive $15 million within 60 days of the earlier of formal signing of the production-sharing contract between the KRG and Chevron on May 31.
Yemen
Reserves attributable to Calvalley Petroleum Inc.'s 50% working interest in Block 9 in Yemen's Masila basin fell to 12.5 million bbl at the end of 2012 from 14.7 million bbl a year earlier, the Calgary company said.
Company interest proved plus probable oil reserves of 25.2 million bbl declined from 29.3 million bbl in 2011.
Proved plus probable oil in place on Block 9 fell to 317 million bbl from 331 million bbl, due mainly to a technical revision of oil in place in Ras Nowmah field.
The definition of the Ras Nowmah structure was updated by the current year drilling activity. The structure is still open in the northwest direction and will be evaluated by drilling in 2013.
Activity in 2012, restricted by security and local issues, involved drilling two delineation wells at Ras Nowmah and a water injection well at Hiswah field. Early in 2013 the company achieved a cumulative production milestone of 1 million bbl from Ras Nowmah field.
