Oil and gas company BW Energy said Monday it had completed the drilling and completion operations on DHIBM-3H, the first production well of the Hibiscus / Ruche Phase 1 development campaign in the Dussafu license offshore Gabon.
"Responsibility for the DHIBM-3H well has been handed over to the production team which will finalize preparations for production start-up. First oil from the well is expected in early April. Commissioning and start-up of the new gas lift compressor will follow the first oil activities on the FPSO," BW Energy said.
The DHIBM-3H well has been drilled from the BW MaBoMo production facility to a depth of 3,883 meters into Gamba sandstone reservoir in the Hibiscus field. Drilling operations began at the start of the year with batch setting of conductors and surface casing on three Hibiscus wells.
In addition, a further three conductors have been batch set on slots planned for Ruche / Hibiscus fields. The drilling campaign followed the successful installation of the production facility, risers, and pipeline.
BW Energy's partner Panoro Energy said the DHIBM-3H well was drilled with the Borr Norve jack-up drilling rig in 116 meters water depth and is the first in a six-well production drilling campaign at the Hibiscus and Ruche fields, which is expected to deliver on a gross basis approximately 30,000 barrels oil per day of new production when all wells are completed and onstream.
The Borr Norve rig has now started drilling the second planned production well on the Hibiscus field, DHIBM-4H.
DHIBM-3H drilling results (drain length and reservoir properties) are in line with expectations. The oil produced at Hibiscus / Ruche will be processed on the BW Adolo FPSO with the established Tortue production before offloading to oil tankers.