Touchstone Exploration has brought a new natural gas well into production in Trinidad, boosting output as the company expands operations across its onshore assets.

In a statement on March 30th, Touchstone said the Carapal Ridge 3 (CR-3) well was brought onstream on March 28 after being tied into the Central block natural gas facility.

The well is currently producing natural gas and condensate as it undergoes a clean-up phase to remove drilling and completion fluids.

The addition of CR-3 has contributed to a steady increase in production from the Central block.

Natural gas throughput has risen from about 16 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) following the company’s acquisition of the asset to approximately 21.5 MMcf/d after the new well came online.

During early operations, the well has recorded intermittent peak production rates of up to 5.7 MMcf/d.

Chief executive officer Paul Baay said the new well supports the company’s strategy of increasing production while maximising existing infrastructure.

“Our current strategy is twofold: maximising the utilisation of existing excess capacity in our processing facilities through targeted drilling and deploying capital toward our highest-priced sales contracts to optimise project returns,” he said.

“The CR-3 well achieves both objectives, adding immediate production while allowing us to benefit from strengthening LNG market fundamentals and improved pricing.”

Baay added that the well is the first new development in the field in more than 17 years, noting that production levels are expected to stabilise after the clean-up process is completed.

Meanwhile, the company is preparing for further production gains with the arrival of a key piece of equipment for its operations in Trinidad.

A booster compressor for the Cascadura facility has completed testing in Houston and is expected to arrive in Trinidad in April, with commissioning planned for May.

The unit is intended to ease pipeline pressure constraints and improve overall output.

Touchstone has also reported progress in its oil operations, with one well already drilled in a four-well campaign on the WD-8 block.

Initial data indicates approximately 290 feet of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir, while drilling is ongoing on a second well.

The company said its average production for January and February stood at 4,778 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including natural gas and crude oil output.

Touchstone, which is headquartered in Canada, continues to focus its operations in Trinidad and Tobago, where it holds interests in several onshore energy blocks.