Hocol announces drilling results of the Arrecife Norte-1 well in the Colombian Caribbean

A new exploratory well by Hocol, Arrecife Norte-1, tested the presence of gas in the department of Córdoba.

The Arrecife Norte-1 well is part of the Exploration and Production contract signed between Hocol and the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) VIM-8, located in the southern part of the Lower Magdalena Valley (VIM), where Hocol has a 100% stake.

 Hocol, a company of the Ecopetrol Group, announces the successful drilling of the exploratory well Arrecife Norte-1, which evidenced the presence of gas at several levels of the reservoir rock associated with the Ciénaga de Oro Formation, the main producing rock of the Lower Magdalena Valley. The well is located 60 kilometers southeast of Montería, in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo, department of Córdoba.

The exploratory well (A3) Arrecife Norte-1 was successfully drilled between October 14 and November 16, 2022, reaching a total depth of 11,000 feet (3,352 meters), identifying the presence of gas in a structure close to the Arrecife discovery in block VIM 8. Initial production tests began on January 6, 2023.

The petrophysical interpretation of the electric logs, the information acquired during the drilling of the well, and the results of the initial production tests indicate the presence of natural gas in several intervals of sandstones of the Ciénaga de Oro Superior formation of Miocene geological age, whose top was found at 7,889 feet (2,404 meters). Hocol is currently continuing the evaluation of these results. The well has produced rates between 3.0 and 4.2 MMSCFD. It is planned to conclude the work related to the initial testing period, which will allow establishing the productivity of the reservoir and its commercial viability.

“The results in this new well Arrecife Norte-1 leverage Hocol's exploratory strategy that seeks to meet the future demand for gas in the country. Likewise, it allows us to continue advancing towards the energy transition while strengthening our growing position as a natural gas producer in northern Colombia,” said Rafael Guzmán, president of Hocol.