Vista Oil & Gas SAB de CV is producing above expectations for new drills in pads No. 4 and No. 5 in Bajada del Palo Oeste block, Argentina. Vista’s production averaged about 30,600 boe/d in fourth-quarter 2020—a 20% increase over the previous quarter. Year-end exit rate for 2020 was about 35,000 boe/d.
MDM-2025h and MDM-2027h are the first 2 wells in the Lower Carbonate landing zone of Vaca Muerta in Pad No. 4. MDM-2025h has 2,186 m lateral length with 26 completion stages, and MDM-2027h has 2,551 m lateral length with 31 completion stages. The Lower Carbonate is the third Vaca Muerta landing zone drilled by Vista in Bajada del Palo Oeste. Previously, 12 wells in pads No. 1 to No. 3 landed in La Cocina and Orgánico.
Normalized cumulative production after 70 days were 27% above Vista’s type curve (2,800 m lateral length and 47 completion stages) for MDM-2025h and 32% above type curve for MDM-2027h. Peak 30-day initial production (IP-30) was 1,224 b/d oil (1,390 boe/d) for MDM-2025h and 1,537 b/d oil (1,746 boe/d) for MDM-2027h.
Results from the wells confirm potential of the Lower Carbonate landing as an economical shale oil play. Petrophysical analysis in Bajada del Palo Oeste shows that the Lower Carbonate has an average total organic content of 5.2%, an average total porosity of 12.7% and an average water saturation of 26%, which are similar characteristics to those of the Orgánico landing zone. This could add up to 150 new wells to the existing drilling inventory of 400 wells in Bajada del Palo Oeste, for a total of up to 550 wells, the company said.
MDM-2026h and MDM-2028h landed in La Cocina on pad No. 4. MDM-2026h has 2,177 m lateral length with 44 stages, and MDM-2028h has 2,554 m lateral length with 51 stages. Normalized cumulative production after 70 days was 29% above type curve for MDM-2026h and 26% above type curve for MDM-2028h. Peak IP-30 was 1,989 bbl/d oil (2,187 boe/d) for MDM-2026h and 2,244 b/d oil (2,453 boe/d) for MDM-2028h. No connectivity was observed between La Cocina and Lower Carbonate, indicating that the reservoirs are isolated.
On pad No. 5, 2 wells landed in La Cocina and 2 wells landed in Orgánico, with an average horizontal length of 2,444 m and a total of 196 completion stages. Pad No. 5 was rapidly completed with an average of 8.5 stages/day, tying-in the 4 wells ahead of the original schedule. The successful results of pad #4 and the early tie-in of pad #5 drove recovery that began late in September 2020.
Vista has 100% ownership in Bajada del Palo Oeste.