Vaalco Energy, Inc. temporarily shut-in Well 2-H in the Ebouri field, offshore Gabon.
The shut-in was to determine the cause of pressure communication between the tubing and casing annuli.
Ebouri is a redevelopment project located within the Etame Marin permit, in which Vaalco is planning to build a crude sweetening platform. The company is investing US$200-$250 million for the new crude sweetening platform at Ebouri to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Installation is expected early 2017 and final investment decision is expected in 1H 2015.
Vaalco says that at the time of shut-in, Well 2-H was producing approximately 2500b/d, a net of 700b/d to Vaalco, with very low levels of H2S. Norway’s BW Offshore’s Petroleo Nautipa FPSO is drilling the well.
According to Vaalco, the well was initially shut-in in early October 2014 due to a pressure communication issue and attempts to resolve the problem through initial diagnostic work and corrective measures were unsuccessful.
Vaalco is planning further diagnostic work, including the use of a wireline unit to determine both the cause of the pressure communication and the resolution. The Houston-based company expects the wireline unit to begin operations late this month.
Less than a month ago, Vaalco began a new, six-well development drilling campaign on the Etame Marin block offshore Gabon, following the installation of the Etame platform and Southeast Etame/North Tchibala platform.
In 2012, two other developments, Wells 3H and 4H in the Ebouri field, were shut-in due to the discovery of H2S in the oil produced from those wells. Vaalco and its partners are continuing to make progress on the plans for returning those wells to production in the 1H 2017 with the expected installation of a crude sweetening facility to remove the H2S.
Map from Vaalco.
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