Touchstone Exploration Inc. encountered hydrocarbon accumulations exceeding pre-drill expectations at the Chinook-1 exploration well on the Ortoire exploration block, onshore the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The operator said the discovery further confirms the geological model developed by the team and provides significant development opportunities in the area. In first-quarter 2021, the operator expects to initiate a completion and testing plan to evaluate the economic potential of encountered hydrocarbon sands.
Chinook-1 is Touchstone’s third exploration well drilled on the block and the third hydrocarbon discovery since Ortoire exploration drilling program began in August 2019.
Drilling samples and open hole wireline logs indicated that the well encountered a significant Herrera turbidite package with a total thickness of 2,000 ft containing over 1,480 ft of sand. Open hole well logs and drilling samples indicated that these sands contain an aggregate 589 net ft of natural gas pay in three unique thrust sheets.
The well encountered 341 net ft of hydrocarbon pay in the Gr7a section of the overthrust Herrera sands at measured depths between 8,154 and 8,710 feet. The overthrust Gr7a sands were the company’s primary target originally identified in the offsetting BW-7X well. Hydrocarbon pay of 180 net ft was identified in the Gr7bc section of the intermediate Herrera sands at measured depths between 8,850 and 9,750 ft.
The sands encountered in this thrust sheet also correlate to the offsetting BW-7X well and were the company’s secondary target. Hydrocarbon pay of 68 net ft was identified in the Gr7bc section in a subthrust sheet of Herrera sands at measured depths between 9,750 and 10,003 ft.
This represents a previously unknown thrust sheet as no sands of this depth were previously penetrated in the offsetting wells.
In addition to the Herrera sandstones and the associated hydrocarbon discoveries, an additional 20 net ft of hydrocarbon pay was identified in the Cruse formation at depths between 2,996 and 3,021 ft. This represents a new discovery in the area that was not observed in offsetting well data.
The company will now drill the Cascadura Deep exploration well, which will impact the timing of Chinook-1 production testing operations, said Paul R. Baay, president and chief executive officer. A drilling rig is expected to move to the Cascadura location before end October.
Touchstone is operator with 80% working interest. Heritage Petroleum Co. Ltd. holds the remaining 20%.
