Touchstone Exploration has reported initial gas test results from its Carapal Ridge-3 well and brought a new oil well into production at the WD-4 block in Trinidad and Tobago. 

In an October 29 operational update, the company said Carapal Ridge-3 recorded separate gross average natural gas test rates of approximately 5.0 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and 6.8 MMcf/d at different choke settings. Cleanup and testing began on October 19 following completion of the well’s Karamat reservoir interval. 

The well is connected to the Central block gas processing facility for sales to Atlantic LNG under the Train 4 sales agreement. Testing is continuing, and Touchstone cautioned that the preliminary rates do not establish sustained production or long-term well performance. 

At WD-4, the PS-623 well produced an estimated 387 barrels of crude oil per day during its first 24 hours onstream. The company described this as an initial flush rate, which is expected to decline as production continues. 

PS-623 reached total depth on October 4. Touchstone’s interpretation of wireline logs identified approximately 450 feet of potential net hydrocarbon pay. The drilling rig has moved to the second location in the two-well campaign, where drilling is expected to begin shortly. 

President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Baay said more time was needed to assess decline behaviour and stabilised production rates at both wells. He said the early Carapal Ridge-3 results could point to an additional gas development opportunity that would use available processing capacity at the Central block. 

Touchstone’s third-quarter sales volumes averaged 4,485 barrels of oil equivalent per day, comprising approximately 19.4 MMcf/d of natural gas and 1,259 barrels per day of crude oil and liquids. 

At Cascadura, booster compressor availability improved to approximately 98 per cent in September. The company plans three workovers before year-end: a coiled tubing cleanout at Cascadura-3ST1, an oil-zone recompletion at Cascadura-5, and work at Cascadura Deep-1 to combine production from two previously producing Herrera zones. A separate workover is planned at Baraka-1 in the Central block to evaluate a lower Herrera reservoir interval.

Photo: Touchstone Exploration Cascadura Development