By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Sept. 8 -- Petrominerales Ltd., Bogota, said its Boa-1 exploration well, formerly B1, on the Corcel block in the Llanos basin is making more than 6,000 b/d of 19° gravity oil, hiking the company’s output in Colombia above 25,000 b/d.

Boa-1, which reached a total depth of 12,875 ft on July 25, is producing the oil with less than 1% water cut from the Lower Sand 1 formation. Logs indicated 48 ft of net oil pay in the Lower Sand 1 and 2 formations, but Lower Sand 2 tests proved noncommercial.

Petrominerales, a 67% owned subsidiary of Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd., Calgary, is drilling the Corcel-A2 sidetrack targeting the highest point of the Corcel A structure to reach bypassed Mirador and Guadalupe pay. The well is to be producing by the end of September, after which the rig will drill two wells on the Guatiquia block Percheron and Candelilla structures.

Meanwhile, the company plans to core the entire Mirador zone at Chiguiro Oeste-1, second of the 2009 three-well heavy oil exploration program in the Llanos basin. Coring and testing are to be finished by the end of September.

After Chiguiro Oeste-1, the rig will spud Rio Ariari-1 on the Rio Ariari block by early October.

Petrominerales shot and is interpreting 423 sq km of 3D seismic on the Castor, Mapache, Casanare Este, Casimena, and Rio Ariari blocks and a further 14 line-km of 2D data on Castor.

Company production averaged 20,679 b/d in August and has grown to more than 25,000 b/d including Boa-1 and excluding output of 1,300 b/d from Corcel-A4, which went offline Aug. 26 when the electric submersible pump failed. It is to be back on line within 10 days. Larger ESPs are to be run at Corcel-C1, Corcel-D2, Mapache-1, and Mirasol-1 by the end of October.