US-based energy company VAALCO Energy has announced first production from development well Etame 12-H, offshore Gabon in Central Africa.

Drilled to a depth of 3,450m, the well targets the recently discovered and untapped lower lobe of the Gamba reservoir.

The well has been brought online at the approximate rate of 2,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) on a gross basis, with around 500bopd net to Vaalco.

"The offshore Gabon drilling campaign that we began last year has so far resulted in increased production of approximately 5,000 gross barrels per day of sweet crude."

No hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been found.

The Etame 12-H is an offset to the Etame 10-H well, which had commenced production in February 2015, at a rate of 3,000bopd.

Etame 10-H was the first oil production from the recently commissioned Etame platform.

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Currently, the company is optimising the well for efficiency, and has constrained it temporarily.

Vaalco CEO Steve Guidry said: "The offshore Gabon drilling campaign that we began last year has so far resulted in increased production of approximately 5,000 gross barrels per day of sweet crude.

"We are pleased with the encouraging results from the Etame 12-H well, and are optimistic about the opportunities we have to expand production offshore Gabon as part of our ongoing development campaign."

The contracted Transocean ‘Constellation II’ rig will now be moved to drill more development wells from the Southeast Etame / N Tchibala platform, starting with the 2-H well in the Southeast Etame field, where the company and its partners have drilled a successful exploration well in 2010.

Once the Southeast Etame 2-H well is drilled, the rig will drill the North Tchibala 1-H well.

The company is not expecting to find any H2S from the Southeast Etame / N Tchibala fields.