Project Profile
Value: Undisclosed
Location: Block Z-1, offshore northwest Peru
Start-up Year: -
The Albacora oil field, located on Block Z-1 offshore northwest Peru, is wholly owned and operated by BPZ Resources. Tenneco discovered Albacora in 1972 when the company found oil, gas and condensate in the discovery well. The well, 8-X-2, was drilled from a drill ship and tested at a rate of 4,600 barrels of crude oil, 20 MMcf/d and 400 barrels of condensate. The field was abandoned until the next operator, Belco, further appraised the area in the 1980s and developed the field by drilling three shut-in wells tied-back to a production platform, which produced for a short period of time.
In 2001, BPZ Resources acquired the block and reevaluated the field. The company decided to refurbish the A platform, which now has the capacity to drill several new wells on the field and increase the field\'s production level. The operator then decided to further appraise the area by drilling a twin discovery well, A-14XD, from the A platform. The well will be drilled to a total depth of 15,000 feet (4,572 metres) and the objective is to test the true potential of the known oil and gas sands, Upper Zorritos formation, and to test the potential of the deeper sand, Lower Zorritos, that was logged but has not been tested. BPZ plans to conduct several drill stem tests to fully evaluate the well and will announce the data by the fourth quarter of 2009.
Operator:
Perupetro: Operator with 51% interest
Frontera Energy: 49% beneficial ownership
Contractors:
Petrex S.A.: 3D seismic survey
Wison Offshore & Marine (USA), Inc.: Built the oil rig - CX-15 platform