Project Profile
Location: 90 km southeast of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Daily Production: 15 mmcf (435,000 cubic metres) of gas
Drilling Depth: 4,150-4,200 m
Start-up year: 2010
El Dorado is a gas field located 90 kilometres southeast of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia. The joint venture has drilled a total of four exploration wells in the Block. The first well, DRD X-1001, drilled in 1998 following a complete 3-D seismic campaign, was a discovery well, yielding a production of 20 million cubic feet per day and 365 barrels per day of condensate at a depth of 4150-4200 metres.
In 2000, the second well DRD X1002 was drilled, confirming the reservoir and productivity of the previous well. In 2004 well DRD X1004 was drilled with the objective of testing the same reservoir but the results were inconclusive. During 2010 the successful DRD X1005 was drilled and tested with production of 10 million cubic feet per day and c.360 barrels per day of condensate in the target reservoir. Later there was a successful re-entry (DRD X-1003) of a well that had previously been viewed as \'dry\'.
The consortium field is now producing from the three currently producing wells drilled (DRD X-1001, DRD X-1002 and DRD X-1005). The processing plant is almost new (installed originally for the Percheles field in c. 2008 and applied to El Dorado after Percheles watered out). Plant capacity is 35 million cubic feet per day. Two further production wells, which include exploration and reservoir confirmation objectives, are expected to result in the field reaching its targeted production level of 35 million cubic feet per day of natural gas and associated condensate and natural gas liquids.
Operators:
Chaco (YPFB): Operator with 90% interest
Clontarf Energy: 10% working interest
*Clontarf has written down its holding in the project to zero due to fiscal/contract uncertainties and industry nationalisation which took place in 2006 under the mandate of president Evo Morales