Petroamerica discovers oil at exploration well in Colombia

Canadian oil company Petroamerica Oil has made a light oil discovery at the La Guira-1 exploration well on the Los Ocarros block in Colombia’s onshore Llanos basin.

Drilled to a total depth of 12,500ft, La Guira-1 encountered 11ft of net pay in the Mirador formation, which was flow tested on a fully open choke for 24.5 hours.

The well started producing light 37.5 degree API oil under natural flow at rates of around 1,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) with a water cut of 20% during the first hour of testing.

According to the company, the water cut progressively increased to more than 50% as testing continued. As a result, the well ceased flowing naturally.

At the end of the test, the final water cut measured was at 34% and a total of 206 barrels of oil and 162 barrels of water were recovered from the test.

Petroamerica plans to use an electro-submersible pump to provide artificial lift, and the well is expected to be tied back through a 7km flow line to the Las Maracas central production facility.

The company interprets the La Guira-1 discovery well as being low in the La Guira structure and plans to drill an up-dip appraisal well, La Guira-2.

Petroamerica also announced that over the month of October, total company working interest production reached a new high with an average rate of 6,312 barrels of oil per day.