Amerisur begins drilling on Platanillo 8 well in Colombia’s Putumayo basin

Oil and gas producer Amerisur Resources has commenced drilling operations on well Platanillo 8 on Pad 5 in the Platanillo field in Colombia’s Putumayo basin.

The company is using the Serinco D-10 rig to drill the Platanillo 8 well.

The well is the first of a minimum of two infill wells, which are planned for this year and will take about 30 days to drill and test.

Amerisur CEO John Wardle said: "I am delighted we have been able to mobilise the rig to drill this well so quickly and that the additional funds raised in March are already being deployed through the drill bit.

"Platanillo 8 is the first well to be drilled on the field for over a year."

At the time of drilling, the well is planned to penetrate the N, U and T sands and production can be brought on stream into existing treatment facilities if successful.

The will also be able to use the OBA pipeline, which is under construction at present.

Using the OBA pipeline, opex and transport costs per barrel are set to come down from the existing $27 to $15.

The company expects that drilling and testing of each infill well will cost about $4m.

Amerisur has assets in Colombia and Paraguay and production from the Platanillo field in southern Colombia.