Oil and gas exploration and production firm Northern Petroleum has started a single-well winter drill programme in Canada.
The well 102/11-30 is targeting a different reef to those earlier drilled by the company. Results are expected in early February 2015.
The high-rate well drilled in 2014 came online towards the end of December and the company said the field’s production exceeded 500 barrels per day on 27 December.
Production range from the starting of February is estimated to be 400 bopd to 550 bopd, subject to a final review of the tie-in of other wells and excluding any contribution from 102/11-30.
Northern Petroleum chief executive officer Keith Bush said: "A thorough technical review of the lessons learned from our 2014 drilling programme has indicated that our current well model assumptions may be conservative with regard to the initial production rate and ultimate recovery from future wells.
"The well currently being drilled will test our revised subsurface concept and, if successful, has the potential to improve the redevelopment plan for the Virgo project, such that fewer wells than previously forecast will be required to achieve our initial recovery target of five million barrels of oil, significantly reducing the capital cost of the redevelopment."
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By GlobalDataNorthern Petroleum is undertaking a redevelopment and production project in north west Alberta.
The company has a portfolio of exploration and appraisal opportunities in countries with relatively low political risk, primarily Italy.
