Project highlight: the Cascadura field

Trinidad and Tobago

In 2019, Canadian independent exploration company Touchstone started an exploration programme in Trinidad and Tobago’s onshore Ortoire block and, in July 2020, it reported the discovery of an estimated 10.8 mcm (381 bcf) of natural gas in the Cascadura Assessment Area.

Cascadura is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s largest finds and the discovery triggered several additional drilling initiatives as well as the construction of a dedicated facility on the site for processing natural gas and liquids.

KEY PLAYERS: The project is a partnership between Touchstone, which holds an 80% interest in the venture and operates the block, and state-owned oil and gas company Heritage Petroleum, which holds the remaining 20%. The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) is the project’s offtaker and is responsible for the construction and operation of the infrastructure linking Cascadura with the domestic distribution network.

SPECIFICATIONS: Cascadura has three surface production sites – Cascadura A, B and C – designed with a nameplate capacity of 5.7 mcm (200 mcf) per day of natural gas and 5,000 boepd of liquids. Gas and liquids are separated at the site, where a self-contained system captures all natural gas and recycles it back into the system to increase sales volumes. The facility is powered by solar installations and natural gas generators which make it completely independent of the Trinidad and Tobago power grid. Cascadura is tied into the domestic gas transmission network via a 1.6-kilometre, 20-inch buried pipeline with pig launcher and pig receiver stations.

DEVELOPMENT: The Cascadura Reserve Report indicated best-case scenario reserves of up to 16.2 bcm (571.5 bcf) of natural gas and worst-case reserves of 6.8 bcm (241.2 bcf). Production of gas and liquids commenced in September 2023 from the Cascadura-1ST1 and Cascadura Deep-1 wells, yielding a net volume of 1.1 mcm (37.4 mcf) per day of gas and 622 boepd of liquids, contributing to an average annual net production volume of 3,981 boepd.
Two appraisal wells followed, Cascadura-2ST1 and Cascadura-3ST1. Both were spud using the Star Valley #205 rig and yielded encouraging results, and both will be tied back to the Cascadura processing facility. As of February 2024, production from Cascadura had doubled relative to initial levels, reaching 2.5 mcm (90 mcf) per day of natural gas and 2,250 boepd of liquids.

OFFTAKE: Under Touchstone’s standing sales agreements, Cascadura’s gas will be sold to NGC under a fixed-price contract and delivered via pipeline to the company, while condensate will be transported via tanker truck to Touchstone’s Barrackpore liquids facility and sold to Heritage Petroleum.

SIGNIFICANCE: Touchstone’s 2022 Coho-1 well on the Ortoire block marked the first time in 20 years that natural gas had been brought on line in Trinidad and Tobago. Cascadura’s estimated reserves make it one of the country’s most significant finds, and it is expected to contribute robustly to national efforts to ramp up oil and gas production and mitigate supply challenges as the domestic demand for energy grows.

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