As part of phase three drilling programme offshore Gabon, Vaalco Energy has completed drilling the Etame West ET-14P exploration well
The target zone was water bearing even though 10 meters of high-quality Gamba sands were encountered in line with pre-drill predictions. Awaiting partner approval, this finding can be further pursued by utilising the well bore part to sidetrack it in the upper portion of the well. This move is expected to support the drilling of the ET-14H development well in the Main Fault Block of Etame.
The lower portion of the well will be plugged and abandoned. Operations are expected to be completed in April.
George Maxwell, Vaalco’s chief Executive Officer, said, “When we committed to drilling the Etame West exploration well, we knew there was the geologic risk of not encountering commercial sands but the size of the potential reservoir made it a risk worth taking. Furthermore, we purposely designed the well so we could still utilise the well bore to drill a development well into a known productive area if the sands were non-commercial. This side-tracked well should be completed in April.”
Vaalco has also been spudding the ET-15 infill well on the Etame platform as part of Phase Three Drilling Programme offshore Gabon.
This infill well is anticipated to significantly add to the production generation capacity of the floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO) that is operational on the Etame Block since 2022 following an extensive transition and field reconfiguration process. While a low cost solution, the FSO boasts of a high storage capacity and improved operational performance. It has helped Vaalco reach operational excellence, and production uptime and enhancement.
Vaalco to drill developmental well on Etame offshore Gabon
The target zone was water bearing.
