Offshore staff
HOUSTON – VAALCO Energy Inc. has restarted production at the Avouma platform in the Etame Marin permit offshore Gabon.
The secondary electric submersible pump (ESP) in the Avouma 2-H well on Avouma was recently started.
The primary ESP previously failed in the Avouma 2-H well, and the company said that prior to attempting to start the secondary ESP, it and the manufacturer and installer of the ESP worked to optimize the startup procedure.
The lower pump was successfully started and performance is stable, with the well producing approximately 1,850 b/d of oil gross or 450 b/d of oil net to VAALCO. The well was producing approximately 2,700 gross b/d of oil or 660 b/d of oil net to VAALCO prior to the first ESP failure.
The company is currently flowing the well at a lower rate while monitoring the performance of the ESP.
COO Cary Bounds said: “We are conducting a detailed investigation of ESP failures encountered earlier this year on the platform and hope to restore production from two shut-in wells in the fourth quarter. The upcoming Avouma ESP replacements will utilize a more cost-effective hydraulic workover unit that is being mobilized to the platform. The ability to restart production from the Avouma 2-H validates our strategy of installing primary and secondary pumps in all of our platform wells.”
VAALCO has experienced difficulty with the ESPs on the platform. In June, the ESPs in theSouth Tchibala 2-H well failed, resulting in a temporary shut-in.
Earlier this month, the operator announced it had upped its participating interest in the Etame Marin.
08/30/2016
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