Petroecuador Begins Drilling on Block 44 in Ecuador’s Orellana Province
Ecuador’s state company Petroecuador has started drilling at the Pucuna D-033 well on Block 44, with an estimated additional production volume of 2,500 barrels per day. The start of work in Orellana Province, Ecuador, marks the beginning of the 2025 drilling campaign, according to a press release from Petroecuador on June 3.
It is expected that drilling and completion of each well will take 45 days, with a projected maximum depth of 4,570 meters (15,000 feet).
Drilling operations are being carried out by China’s state company Sinopec.
In early May, Petroecuador and the Asian company signed a contract for geological exploration services in the Ecuadorian Amazon to increase crude oil production.
The value of the deal exceeded $105.5 million USD.
The Pucuna D-033 well is located in Orellana Province, in the lower Amazon region. Four production wells are planned for this area within the year: three directional and one horizontal.
Block 44 was commissioned in April 1990. From January to May 2025, average production reached more than 9,330 barrels per day, with a crude oil density of 27.9 degrees API.
According to Petroecuador’s estimates, the 2025 drilling campaign will increase crude oil production by approximately 12,000 barrels per day.
Petroecuador also announced that this year, drilling will begin at other fields, including:
Drago, Tetete, and Sansahuari in the northern zone;
Pucuna, Gasela, and Sacha in the western zone;
Apaika and Nenke in the central zone.
The drilling campaign will also take place at fields in the Orellana and Sucumbíos provinces.
Earlier, Petroecuador reported a fire at the Esmeraldas refinery (NPP). It was noted that flames broke out in a fuel oil tank. Firefighters managed to extinguish it.
