Panoro Energy-ETAP JV to commence drilling on Guebiba field in Tunisia

Oil and gas exploration and production firm Panoro Energy will drill a production well in Tunisia, along with its joint venture (JV) partner Entreprise tunisienne d’activités pétrolières (ETAP), on the Guebiba onshore field.

The field is part of the assets operated by Thyna Production Services (TPS) in Tunisia.

Panoro Energy noted that this will be the first drilling programme conducted on the TPS-operated assets since 2015.

The well is expected to be spudded in May while three workovers are underway and should be online by the end of the first quarter this year. It will be drilled using the 2,000hp onshore rig CTF 06 owned by Tunisian drilling contractor Compagnie Tunisienne de Forage (CTF).

Panoro Energy said in a statement: “The operations will utilise an existing top hole section and will target a new production interval on the Bireno formation at 3,600m in a known fault block compartment, where an assessment of the historical performance of the field has concluded that a further drainage point is required to effectively exploit the resource potential present in the western panel of the field.”

The company noted that the anticipated incremental production uplift from this well is expected to increase the daily output at the Tunisian assets operated by TPS.

Panoro Energy CEO John Hamilton said: “We are extremely pleased to have secured the CTF 06 rig to drill at the Guebiba onshore field, in advance of its use on our Salloum West exploration well.

“Our Tunisian assets are undergoing an unprecedented high level of activity and we expect this to yield results in material additional production during the first half of 2020.”

According to the company, the well will be drilled prior to the Salloum West exploration well, also targeting the Bireno formation, which has been delayed due to pending regulatory approvals.