Prospex Energy plc said that gas production was temporarily halted in mid-April at the new onshore Viura-1B well because of a leak in the completion tubing.
WORKOVERS
Partner and operator Heyco Energia Iberia S.L. needs to obtain equipment, including mobilising a suitable drill rig, for a workover to resume production from the north Spanish field by mid-June 2025.
Heyco also plans a workover on the original producing well Viura‑1ST3, currently not producing.
Prospex added that the workover would shut off a water zone, preventing water ingress from deeper in the reservoir flowing to the top producing zones in the new well Viura-1B.
Decreasing water production into the processing plant will also reduce operational costs.
On completion of the workover, Viura‑1ST3 will not produce gas without further intervention.
The Viura-3 water injection well, considered unsuitable for water injection, remains capped and suspended.
The workovers will defer drilling of the phase II wells of Viura-3A and Viura‑3B to 2026.
Heyco will also use the time to procure equipment and optimise 3D seismic reprocessing and reinterpretation to pinpoint locations for the development wells.
The operator will restart talks with the syndicate of banks on debt-finance for the cost of drilling the development wells once production resumes from Viura‑1B.
Tests are also planned for Q1 2026 on the untested Utrillas-B reservoir, below the main Utrillas-A reservoir horizon.
“It is important to re-establish stable gas rates from Viura before the drilling of the new development wells commences in order to optimise the financing options for phase II of the development drilling campaign,” said Prospex chief executive officer Mark Routh.
“One benefit arising from the disruption to production at the field and the resultant delay to the development drilling it is that it provides Prospex with more time to generate cash from its other producing assets and fund our share of expenditure at Viura reducing the need to source additional funding from the market.”
Prospex owns 7.24% of the Viura field through its 7.5% ownership of Heyco Energy Iberia S.L.