Touchstone Exploration has announced light oil discovery in the Royston-1 exploration well, which is situated on the onshore Ortoire block on the island of Trinidad.
The company has revealed the results of the first of three planned production tests, which shown a light oil discovery in the lowermost section of the well.
Touchstone owns a 80% operating working interest in the well, while the remaining 20% stake is owned by Heritage Petroleum.
The well, which was spud in August this year, was drilled to a total depth of 10,700ft.
With a total observed thickness of 1000ft, the well encountered a significant Herrera turbidite package. It was confirmed by drilling samples and open hole wireline logs.
The overall Herrera section drilled in Royston-1 consists of around 609ft of clean sand, of which 393 gross feet in two unique thrust sheets appeared to be hydrocarbon pay based on mud gas logging and open hole logs, stated the company.
The company has designed the first and deepest Royston-1 completion and exploration test to assess an interval at the bottom of the well in the intermediate sheet of the Herrera Formation.
Additionally, the well was shut in and built to a pressure of 3,150 psi at surface (estimated 7,100 psi reservoir pressure) following completion and a brief clean-up period to recover load fluid.
Later, the interval was flowed up 3.5in tubing on a variety of choke sizes between 16/64 inches and 40/64 inches at rates up to 360 bbls/d of 34.5-degree API crude oil before being shut-in.
Touchstone Exploration president and CEO Paul Baay said: “The initial test confirms the large hydrocarbon column in the well, and we interpret the following two primary testing targets to be liquids rich natural gas.
“These results exceed pre-test expectations, as a flowing light oil opportunity with significant development potential from the bottom 100 feet of the wellbore is a major addition to the Royston area opportunity.”
Touchstone is configuring the next two uphole primary production test intervals based on wireline logging and drilling data to assess liquids rich natural gas prospects. It is also planning flowback and full buildup analysis for each zone.
With a 270-foot gross interval (145 feet of net pay) targeting the Gr7bc sands, the company is also planning to perforate the second test interval in the overthrust sheet of the Herrera Formation.
Touchstone is designing the third test to assess an 84-foot interval (62 feet of net pay) at the top of the Gr7a Herrera sands.
