(Ecofin Agency) - Vaalco Energy’s Avouma 2-H well on the Avouma Platform offshore Gabon in the Etame Marin Permit has resumed production at a stable rate.

According to the company, the secondary electric submersible pump (ESP) in the well was recently started and the well is now producing at a steady rate.Earlier this year, the primary ESP in the Avouma 2-H well failed and before trying to start the secondary ESP, Vaalco, the manufacturer and installer of the ESP worked together to perfect the startup process.

Last week, the lower pump was successfully started. The performance was steady, with the well producing about 1,850 bopd gross or 450 bopd net to Vaalco compared to the 2,700 gross bopd the well was producing before the first ESP failure. The company is currently flowing the well at a minor rate while also observing the performance of the ESP.

“We are pleased to have restarted production from the Avouma 2-H well and will continue to monitor the performance of the secondary ESP.  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,” Cary Bounds, Vaalco’s Chief Operating Officer, told Energy-pedia.

Anita Fatunji