Hemisphere Energy Corp., Vancouver, BC, started a three-well drilling program in the Atlee Buffalo G pool in southeast Alberta. All three wells are being drilled from the same pad and are expected to be placed on production by mid-October.
Hemisphere’s last drilling program was in 2019 when 11 wells were drilled into the pool, of which four were subsequently converted to injectors. Average corporate production since 2019 has been flat at 1,750 boe/d due to strong waterflood performance in the Atlee Buffalo oil pools, the company said in a Sept. 17 release. The company expects exit 2021 production to reach 2,200 boe/d, according to an August 2021 investor presentation.
Hemisphere’s Atlee G pool polymer flood has now been under way for just over 2 months. All 10 injection wells in the pool are now converted over to polymer and the company continues to ramp up polymer rates and viscosities to optimize the flood, it said. Response from the flood is expected by early 2022.
In the Atlee Buffalo area, Hemisphere produces oil from two conventional heavy oil pools. The oil reservoirs are part of the Glauconitic formation of the Mannville Group and contain an estimated 84 million bbl total oil in place, according to the presentation.
Hemisphere currently has operational waterfloods in both pools but is converting one of the waterfloods to polymer flood to improve recovery. The second pool is currently being evaluated for polymer flood conversion in 2022.