Amistad

Location

The Amistad gas field is located in the Gulf of Guayaquil, approximately 5 miles north of Peruvian waters, in the Tumbes basin off the coast of Ecuador.

Operator and Ownership

The field is currently operated by EP Petroecuador, a state-owned integrated oil and gas company in Ecuador. Previously, the project was operated by Noble Affiliates Inc. through its subsidiaries Samedan Oil Corp. and EDC Ecuador Ltd., which held a 100% working interest.

Geology and Reserves

The Amistad gas field is situated in the Miocene Subibaja formation, characterized by up to 400 feet of conglomeratic sandstone at depths around 10,000 feet. The productive area of the field spans about 6,400 acres. Initial estimates by Noble Affiliates indicated gas reserves exceeding 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf), with 87.5 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas reserves booked in 1999. Further drilling was expected to increase these reserves.

Development History

The Amistad gas field was first discovered in 1970 by the Ada Oil Exploration group. However, the project faced several delays and false starts due to lack of gas infrastructure and title issues. In the mid-1990s, attempts by Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd. and King Ranch Inc. to develop the field were unsuccessful. Noble Affiliates Inc. later took over the project and began development drilling in the late 1990s.

Drilling and Production

The first development well, Amistad 5, encountered 341 feet of net gas pay, which was more than expected. This well was drilled from the Amistad platform at a water depth of 130 feet. The field's production is significant, with peak production achieved in 2014. As of recent data, the field has recovered 86.10% of its total recoverable reserves and is expected to continue production until it reaches its economic limit in 2036.

Infrastructure and Market

Noble Affiliates Inc. planned to build a 40-mile pipeline to transport gas from the Amistad field to a 200-MW combined-cycle power plant at Machala, Ecuador. This project was expected to provide about 13 bcf/year of gas to the power plant over a 20-year period. The power generated would supply both the local area and the national grid.

Current Status

The Amistad gas field is currently a producing field operated by EP Petroecuador. It accounts for approximately 1% of Ecuador's daily gas output. The field's production will continue until it reaches its economic limit in 2036.