Petrobras and Colombia's state-run oil and gas company, Ecopetrol, have reported two major gas discoveries in the country's offshore basins.
The finds by Brazil's Petrobras in the Guajira Offshore Basin are estimated to hold around 6tcf of gas in place.
Petrobras said the discoveries at the Uchuva-1 and Uchuva-2 wells, now known as Sirius-1 and Sirius-2, indicate a substantial addition to Colombia's gas reserves.
Petrobras, with a 44.4% operatorship stake, and Ecopetrol, with a 55.6% interest, jointly operate the Tayrona block where these wells are situated.
The Sirius-1 well is located in deep waters at a depth of 837m, approximately 32km from the coast and 76km from Santa Marta city.
The consortium plans to continue the development of the area, adhering to the contractual agreements with the National Hydrocarbons Agency. However, the commercial viability of the reserves will require further analysis and studies.
The drilling of the Uchuva-2 appraisal well began in June to evaluate the natural gas discovery initially made at the Uchuva-1 exploration well in July 2022.
Petrobras general manager for exploration Rogerio Soares, as reported by Reuters, said: “The initial conception of Sirius... foresees the first offshore gas in 2029 to 2030 with four producing wells and an expected production of 13.3 million cubic metres per day for ten years.”
The Sirius project is expected to be the largest offshore discovery in Colombia and could potentially double the nation's reserves, he added during the Colombian Petroleum Association's (ACP) forum in Cartagena.
The total investment to develop the Sirius project is estimated to be around $5bn (27.39bn reais), with $2bn allocated for exploration and $3bn for production development.
In addition to the Sirius discoveries, Ecopetrol has announced another offshore natural gas deposit at the Papayuela well, which could yield up to 800 million cubic feet of gas per day, reported Bloomberg, citing CEO Ricardo Roa.
This discovery, still in its early stages, could satisfy 80% of Colombia's current gas demand and may take five to seven years to become productive, Roa noted.
Ecopetrol is the sole operator of the discovery, which is also located in the Tayrona block.
