Houston-based VAALCO Energy is in the process of plugging and abandoning its post-salt Kindele-1 well, offshore Angola after encountering non-commercial hydrocarbons.
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Map of Kindele-1, offshore Angola. From VAALCO. |
Kindele-1, VAALCO’s first exploration well on West Africa's Block 5 was drilled to 1829m total depth at 100m water depth, using the Transocean Celtic Sea semisubmersible.
Drilling reached the Mucanzo sand formation, its primary target, in the Pinda Group section, but was found to be water bearing. The well is currently being plugged and abandoned. Kindele-1 was spudded at the beginning of March with plans of drilling to 2250m for geologic and geophysical correlation, however, those plans have been canceled.
“The well targeted a three-way fault closure where the fault appears to have not provided the required lateral seal. The Mucanzo target sands were present and of a very high quality,” says Steve Guidry, VAALCO chairman and CEO. “We did find non-commercial hydrocarbon shows higher in the Pinda Group, in the overlying Catambela formation, indicating we were in a proven hydrocarbon system. Overall, we remain optimistic about the additional prospects and leads, both pre- and post-salt, on the block."
Under the Block 5 subsequent exploration phase (SEP) between VAALCO and its partner Sonangol P&P, the two companies have committed to drill a total of four exploration wells during the exploration extension period, that expires in November 2017. VAALCO says that the four-well obligation includes the original two-well commitment under the primary exploration period that carries over to the SEP period.
3D seismic processing of more than 2025sq km of the outboard portion of Block 5was recently completed in which VAALCO has already identified several new pre-salt and post-salt leads as future exploration targets to be evaluated on the block.
VAALCO in West Africa
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The Transocean Constellation II jackup. From Transocean. |
VAALCO is conducting a six-well development drilling campaign on the Etame Marin block offshore Gabon, that followed the installation of the Etame platform and the Southeast Etame/North Tchibala (SEENT) platform. Both platforms are equipped with eight well slots to provide options to drill up to five additional development wells from each platform after the completion of the six-well program.
In February, VAALCO mobilized the Transocean Constellation II to drill additional development wells from the SEENT platform to begin the southeast Etame 2-H well, located in the southeast Etame field.
First production from the Etame 10-H well using the Constellation II began also began in February. Drilling reached 3144m and intersected more than 180m of high quality reservoir within an oil-bearing portion of the Gamba sand. As of mid-February, the well is producing at approximately 3000 b/d.
Etame 10-H is the second development well drilled from the newly installed Etame platform. The first, Etame 8-H was drilled in 4Q 2014.
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