(Ecofin Agency) - VAALCO Energy has recently announced that the North Tchibala 1-H well, the first development well drilled by VAALCO, has been brought online at a rate slightly in excess of  3,000 gross bo/d; approximately 750 bbl/d net revenue interest to the company.

The well was drilled to a measured depth of approximately 11,160 feet, targeting the underdeveloped Dentale reservoir, which is productive on fields onshore Gabon.

The North Tchibala 1-H well was firstly brought on production, utilizing an electrical submersible pump (ESP), but was subsequently allowed to produce naturally. The well is not producing any formation water or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and has a strong flowing tubing pressure in excess of 1,000 PSI.  VAALCO plans to continue producing the well without any artificial lift while monitoring surface and downhole pressures.

“I am pleased to announce that the results from the North Tchibala 1-H well exceeded our expectations. This industry milestone is particularly exciting as it is the first production from the North Tchibala field and the producing interval in this well is one of several within the Dentale formation known to be oil-bearing. We will monitor production and reservoir performance over the next few months while we complete our workover program at the Avouma/South Tchibala platform to determine the appropriate timing to drill a follow-up North Tchibala development well. We believe this field has significant reserve upside and results from this well over the coming months are important as this will allow us to better understand the potential of the newly-producing reservoir.” Steve Guidry, VAALCO's Chairman and CEO told Energy-pedia.

However, this is the second well drilled and placed on production at VAALCO's new Southeast Etame/North Tchibala (SEENT) platform located in approximately 260 feet of water offshore Gabon. VAALCO is the sole operator of the Etame Marin permit area and owns a 28.1% working interest and a 24.4% net revenue interest.