GeoPark Ltd. has made a discovery at the new Curucucu oil field in the Llanos 34 Block in Colombia.

The company, which serves as operator with a 45% working interest in the block, drilled and completed the Curucucu 1 exploration well to a total depth of 14,600 ft. A production test conducted with an electric submersible pump in the Guadalupe Formation resulted in a production rate of about 1,700 barrels of oil per day, of 15.8 degrees API, with 0.4% water cut, through a 100/64-in. choke and wellhead pressure of 70 pounds per square inch.

“Another geological and operational win for our team—with our 13th new oil field discovery in Colombia and successfully drilling a highly technical well with an extended reach,” said GeoPark CEO James F. Park. “GeoPark’s long-term investment in our people, oil and gas capabilities, and regional platform continues to pay off and propel us into the leading position to take advantage of the exciting and abundant opportunities in Latin America today.”

Additional production history is required to determine stabilized flow rates of the well. Surface facilities are in place, and the well is already in production. Petrophysical log analysis during drilling also indicated the presence of potentially productive hydrocarbons in the shallower Mirador Formation.

To minimize surface construction costs and share production facilities, the Curucucu 1 exploration well was drilled from an existing well pad in the recently discovered Jacamar oil field. The well was drilled with a horizontal extension of more than 9,000 ft, representing a record for the Llanos 34 Block.

The Curucucu oil field is located on a new fault trend to the east of Tigana/Jacana fault trend, adjacent to the Jacamar oil field. It is the 11th oil field discovered by GeoPark since acquiring the prolific Llanos 34 block in 2012 and one of three new oil fields added in 2017.

GeoPark plans to drill about seven wells in the Llanos 34 Block during third-quarter 2017 with a focus on further delineating the southern Jacana and northern Tigana oil fields.