Report: Quifa block to be a key producing asset for Pacific Exploration and Production

Pacific Exploration and Production, despite facing operating challenges at the Quifa block, remains positive of the asset’s viability, says a report by GlobalData.

Titled 'Colombia Quifa Project Panorama – Oil and Gas Upstream Analysis Report', the report provides details of the Quifa block and its future outlook.

The Quifa block includes five heavy oil fields namely Quifa South West, Ambar, Jaspe, Opalo and Cajua, with all five fields sharing central processing facilities. The block is estimated to contain 300 million barrels of heavy oil and produced 58,000 barrels a day of heavy oil this year.

Pacific Exploration and Productions released its Rubiales field to Ecopetrol in June, making the Quifa block its main production asset. Following the release, the Quifa block accounted for 34% of Pacific Exploration’s production.

The company, however, has been facing several challenges with regards to the Quifa block. It was instructed by the Colombian Constitutional Court to suspend operations in March within 2km of the border of an indigenous community, which falls under the Quifa block. The suspension is expected to have an impact on the production of Pad-3 of the block, although Pacific Exploration aims to maintain production.

The water cut being above 90% and primary recovery being less than 14% also poses operational challenges at Quifa. To address these issues, the company implemented its patented synchronised thermal additional recovery process in 2011.

Although the process initially increased the production per well, the ultimate recovery did not increase after a short period.

Pacific Exploration, therefore, does not plan to implement the technology on a full scale.