Vaalco Energy Inc., Houston, said operations are under way to plug back to a shallower depth and drill the Etame 9H horizontal development well in the Gamba reservoir after encountering Gamba and Dentale oil sands from the Etame 9P appraisal well.
Drilled to 10,260 ft TD, the well targeted the subcropping Dentale reservoir beneath the Vaalco-operated Etame field offshore Gabon (OGJ Online, Sept. 13, 2019).
The discovery verifies the presence of a Dentale oil column first identified in the Etame 4V well drilled in 2001, the company said. It encountered 35 ft of good-quality Dentale oil sands with 27% porosity and 3,000 md of permeability.
Vaalco estimates gross recoverable oil resources of 2.5-10.5 million bbl of oil present in subcropping Dentale reservoirs. The identified oil column was thicker than expected in the Gamba reservoir, which may result in higher ultimate oil recovery from the planned Etame 9H and Etame 11H, the company said.
Vaalco did not encounter hydrogen sulfide in either the Gamba or Dentale reservoirs.
Completion of Etame 9H is delayed into December as the company retrieves drill pipe and tools lodged in the wellbore after reaching total depth.
The company will assess the viability of drilling future Dentale development wells “as we aim to extend the overall life of the field by continuing to add reserves and production,” said Vaalco Chief Executive Officer Cary Bounds.
