Echo Energy plc (LON:ECHO), the Latin American focused upstream oil and gas company, has provided an operational update regarding its Santa Cruz Sur assets, onshore Argentina, for Q3 2021 until 23 August 2021.
Operational Update
The Company is pleased to confirm that following installation of the pipeline required to bring back online the liquids production which was shut in April 2020, the infrastructure has now been successfully commissioned for operation and shut-in wells are being brought online. This follows an upgrade of the electrical infrastructure, which was designed to support the first tranche of production from the Campo Molino and Chorillos oil fields to provide sufficient power to support sustained production from the associated ten wells. These upgrades are also part of the Company’s strategy to control critical infrastructure previously rented from contractors.
To date, the Campo Molino oil field has been brought back online with four of the shut-in wells now back in operation and producing from the Springhill reservoir. This first tranche of restored production will increase the number of active producing oil wells at Santa Cruz Sur to 18.
As of 23 August 2021, the recently reactivated wells have contributed to an almost 50% increase in total liquids production at Santa Cruz Sur compared to the period immediately prior to this (281 bopd gross, 197 bopd net to Echo – during the period 1 -17 August 2021). This represents an increase of 137 bopd gross, 95 bopd net to Echo and work continues to bring the remainder of the first tranche of shut-in production back online. The production levels from the initial reactivated wells indicate that the shut-in period has not had a detrimental impact on reservoir behaviour in the Campo Molino oil field. Prior to shut-in, the combined gross production from the ten oil wells was approximately 138 bopd gross, 96 bopd net to Echo, approximately the same level now being achieved from the initial four wells, with the associated upgraded infrastructure.
Daily operations across the asset base in Santa Cruz Sur continue with the delivery of produced gas to industrial customers under contract with premium winter pricing being achieved. Production over the period from 1 January 2021 to 23 August 2021 reached an aggregate of 381,243 boe net to Echo, which included 48,211 bbls of oil and condensate and 1,998 mmscf of gas.
Martin Hull, Chief Executive Officer of Echo Energy, commented:
“During Q3 2021 we have continued to make significant operational progress and deliver against our objectives. Successfully increasing our liquids production is an important milestone. There remain further production upsides as we continue through the programme of reopening previously shut-in wells. Increased production combined with the continuing marked upswing in global commodity prices materially increases our cashflows enabling reinvestment to further drive growth. The ongoing production increases have been achieved while maintaining our careful cost management in order to maximise value for shareholders.”
