Canadian company Gran Tierra Energy has announced an oil discovery at the Charapa-B6 well in Ecuador's Oriente basin.
The Charapa-B6 well is the third oil discovery for Gran Tierra in 2024 and the fifth in Ecuador since the company restarted its exploration campaign after the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is situated just west of the recently announced Arawana-J1 and Bocachico Norte-J1 wells on the neighbouring Chanangue block.
Gran Tierra said it has successfully run production casing, and cemented and perforated the Hollin oil zone, initiating production testing.
The Hollin oil zone was perforated over a 50ft reservoir interval, revealing 45ft of net pay based on log evaluation.
The well has been equipped with a jet pump and has produced oil at stabilised rates over a 53-hour period, yielding 2,118 barrels (bbl) of oil per day with a 28.2-degree API gravity, a 2.2% water cut and a gas-oil ratio of 21 standard cubic feet per stock tank barrel.
This exploration well is the first drilled in the Charapa Block since the Charapa B5 well in 2022, which has already produced more than 280,000bbl.
The rig has now been moved to the Charapa-B7 exploration well, which was spud on 9 August 2024.
Gran Tierra said its drilling success in the Oriente and Putumayo basins highlights the exceptional potential of these regions. The combined production from the five discoveries has reached 778,000bbl.
Gran Tierra president and CEO Gary Guidry said: “This series of discoveries is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team, and it reaffirms the value of our strategic focus on high-impact, near-field exploration in Ecuador.
“This discovery is not only a reflection of the successful implementation of our exploration strategy but also a strong indicator of the promising future that lies ahead for Gran Tierra in both Ecuador and Colombia. As we continue to explore and develop our assets in the Putumayo and Oriente basins, we expect to leverage our learnings from these exploration wells on both sides of the border.”
