Page 16 - AfrOil Week 28 2022

AfrOil PROJECTS & COMPANIES AfrOil

VAALCO completes South Tchibala

1HB-ST well at Etame Marin

GABON VAALCO Energy (US) reported on June 7 that “The Etame asset is a premier, high-quality field
it had successfully completed the South Tchibala that has produced over 126mn barrels of oil
1HB-ST well, after wrapping up drilling opera- and we believe still has significant upside over
tions from the Avouma platform at the Etame the next decade. We are pleased with the results
Marin block offshore Gabon. of the South Tchibala 1HB-ST well, which will
In a statement, the company said that it had add to production once the long-term stabilised
completed South Tchibala 1HB-ST well after rate is established, and more importantly, adds
carrying out a frack pack – that is, a combination new reserves to VAALCO’s 1P and 2P positions,”
of hydraulic fracturing and gravel packing – in he said. “The continued success of our 2021/22
the Dentale D1 sands interval of the well. This drilling campaign, coupled with a strong pric-
marked the first time this process was used at the ing environment and financial efficiencies of
Etame block, it noted. keeping the rig on location, has enabled us to
It also reported that it had not carried out extend the current four-well programme by an
the frack pack in Dentale D9, the well’s second additional two wells.”
sand interval. Even though Dentale D9 was VAALCO is the operator of Etame Marin
observed to have hydrocarbon potential, it was and has a 58.8% stake in the block. ™
not appraised during completion and may be
tested and completed in the future, it explained.
VAALCO’s next move will be to bring the
South Tchibala 1HB-ST well online slowly, over
a period of several weeks, so that it can clean the
formation up adequately and establish a long-
term, stabilised flow rate, the statement said.
The company expects to see flow rates stabilise
within five to seven days but will let the well flow
at varying rates for the first several days in order
to minimise the risk of long-term completion
and formation damage, it added.
Once regular production begins, VAALCO
will be able to add the South Tchibala 1HB-
ST well’s Dentale D1 reservoir to its record of
proven and probable reserves. The company’s
current internal reserve range estimate of oil
in place (OIP) for the Dentale D1 horizon is
5.5-16.0mn barrels, including 1.8mn barrels of
recoverable reserves.
George Maxwell, VAALCO’s CEO, said
the successful drilling and completion of the
well had allowed the company to identify new
reserves and drilling targets at its licence area. South Tchibala is a field at the Etame Marin block (Image: VAALCO Energy)

OEC installs Cabinda distillation tower

ANGOLA BRAZILIAN contractor Odebrecht Engenha- equipment of the project. At 26 metres high and
ria e Construção (OEC) this week announced more than 70 tonnes in weight, this tower has
that it has installed the distillation tower at the the capacity to process 30,000 bpd.”
60,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Angola’s The refinery is being constructed by
Cabinda exclave. UK-based Gemcorp Capital on the Malembo
In a statement issued via LinkedIn, the com- plain, around 30 km north of the provincial cap-
pany said: “We set up the distillation tower of ital, and is expected to produce gasoline, diesel,
the Cabinda Refinery, the most important fuel oil and Jet A1.

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