DNO ASA on July 17 announced a two-thirds increase in production from the Peshkabir field in the Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to 25,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil, following completion of the Peshkabir-4 well testing program.

The well has been placed on production at a rate of 10,000 bbl/d of oil through a 72/64-inch choke with 790 psi wellhead pressure through temporary, capacity-constrained test facilities and the oil trucked to Fish Khabur for export.

The Peshkabir-4 well was designed as a high angle well to assess the central part of the structure four km (two miles) west of the Peshkabir-3 well and drilled to a measured depth of 3,525 m (11,564 ft), including a 1,150 m (3,772 ft) extended reach reservoir section. A total of 11 zones were tested and flowed between 1,500 bbl/d and 7,000 bbl/d of oil per zone.

The next well in the 2018 field development campaign, Peshkabir-5, has been drilled seven km (fofur miles) west of Peshkabir-3 and has successfully proved the westward extension of the field. Completed in June, it is currently undergoing final testing; a total of four zones have been tested so far and flowed between 4,000 bbl/d and 7,500 bbl/d of oil per zone. DNO will bring this well onstream in August and expects to reach and surpass its previously announced summer 2018 Peshkabir production target of 30,000 bbl/d of oil.

“The pickup in Peshkabir production puts new meaning to the fast in fast track in development of this field by the DNO team,” Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s executive chairman, said. “And we expect Peshkabir to continue to surprise to the upside.”

Two other wells, Peshkabir-6 and Peshkabir-7, are drilling ahead at 3,900 m (12,795 ft) and 3,100 m (10,170 ft), respectively. Peshkabir-6, a near vertical well, will explore the field’s deeper Triassic formation and establish the Cretaceous oil/water contact level. Peshkabir-7 is a high angle producer well located between Peshkabir-4 and Peshkabir-5.

The Peshkabir field was brought on production in 2017 and two drilled wells last year, Peshkabir-2 and Peshkabir-3, have produced at a constant combined rate of around 15,000 bbl/d of oil.

DNO operates and has a 75% interest in the Tawke license, which contains the Tawke and Peshkabir fields, with partner Genel Energy Plc holding the remainder. Together, output from the two fields has averaged 106,000 bbl/d of oil year-to-date.