BW Energy has started production at the third well of the Hibiscus/Ruche Phase 1 development on the Dussafu license offshore Gabon, the company said in a press release on Thursday.
BW Energy said the well’s performance, estimated at 6,000 barrels per day (bpd), is in line with expectations.
BW Energy drilled DHIBM-5H as a horizontal well from its MaBoMo offshore production facility to a total depth of 13,927 feet (4,245 meters) in the Gamba sandstone reservoir in the Hibiscus field. According to the press release, the company’s Borr Norve jack-up has begun drilling operations for the fourth production well, DHIBM-6H.
“I would like to congratulate the drilling team for their efficient delivery of Hibiscus’ third producing well while expanding our excellent [health, safety, and environment] performance,” said BW Energy CEO Carl Krogh Arnet. “We continue to see robust production rates and receive well data confirming excellent reservoir quality. This supports our expectations for continued sequential production growth in Gabon through 2023 and into early 2024 as we complete the drilling program.
BW Energy’s drilling program targets four Hibiscus Gamba and two Ruche Gamba wells, which are expected to increase total oil production to approximately 40,000 bpd when all wells are completed in early 2024. Oil produced at Hibiscus/Ruche is transported by pipeline to the BW Adolo floating production tank before offloading.
BW Energy brought in the second Hibiscus/Ruche well, DHIBM-4H, in June. In early July, the company also announced the commissioning of a new gas lift compressor (GLC) on the BW Adolo FPSO. The compressor was the second GLC unit installed on the FPSO to support the output of the six Tortue wells. Once fully operational, it is expected to add approximately 3,000 bpd to production.
According to the company’s website, the Dussafu license is located in the Ruche Exclusive Exploitation Area (Ruche EEA), which covers 328.2 square miles (850 square kilometers), has an average water depth of 380.6 feet (116 meters) and includes six discovered oil fields and numerous cables and prospects. BW Energy’s production sharing contract allows the production of hydrocarbons from the Ruche EEA for up to 20 years from first production, which was achieved in September 2018.
In 2021, the Tortuga field had a gross rate of approximately 11,300 bpd. More than 4.1 million crude barrels were produced for the year, according to the website.
The Hibiscus/Ruche development is expected to recover gross reserves of approximately 47.9 million barrels based on third-party estimates. Gross investments for the Hibiscus / Ruche development project are currently estimated at approximately $393 million, which is expected to be funded largely from operating cash flow generated by production at Tortue, the company said.
BW Energy is an exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas deposits. It has majority interests in three hydrocarbon licenses in Gabon, Brazil and Namibia. BW Energy’s total net 2P + 2C reserves and resources were 428 million barrels of oil equivalent as of early 2023, according to the website.
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