By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Nov. 4 – La Cortez Energy Colombia Inc., Bogota, and Petroleos del Norte SA will explore and 126,845-acre Putumayo-4 block in Colombia’s Putumayo basin.

The companies are reprocessing more than 1,200 line-km of 2D seismic on the block and will shoot 103 line-km of new 2D seismic surveys in the first half of 2010. They expect to drill an exploratory well by the second half of the year.

The contract consists of two 3-year exploration phases and a 24-year production phase.