US embassy cable - 04CARACAS337

UNCLAS  CARACAS 000337 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NSC FOR TSHANNON 
ENERGY FOR D.PHUMPHREY AND A. LOCKWOOD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EPET, ECON, VE 
SUBJECT: PRIVATE SECTOR OIL PRODUCTION 
 
1.  Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) A document prepared following a December luncheon in 
which private sector company representatives shared average 
monthly production numbers for both oil and gas production 
from their fields has given us a better idea of non-PDVSA oil 
production in Venezuela.  According to this document, 
December production by the private sector totaled 963,629 
b/d.  This figure is then broken down to show 503,000 b/d of 
production by the four extra heavy crude projects and 460,629 
b/d from the various Operating Agreements.  These numbers 
support the 1 million b/d figure that is generally cited as 
the assessment of private sector production.  Private sector 
production is ever more important as we believe it likely 
that PDVSA's own production will continue to decline slowly. 
This information may give us a basis on which to calculate 
the extent to which the private sector can ramp up production 
in 2004.  End Summary. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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2. (SBU) The difficulty of assessing Venezuelan oil 
production (besides misstatements about the extent of PDVSA's 
own production by GOV authorities) is increased by the number 
and complexity of the business structures under which the 
private sector, both foreign and domestic, operates.  There 
are currently 32 active "Operating Agreements" or 
"convenios," granted in three investment "rounds" in the 
1990's, under which a company provides financial resources, 
infrastructure, operational skills and technology and is paid 
by PDVSA on a fee-per-barrel-produced basis. 
 
3. (U) Under another structure, the so-called "Strategic 
Associations," four projects were developed to extract the 
extra heavy crude of the Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt and then 
convert it into synthetic crudes for the international 
market.  Hamaca, the joint venture between ConocoPhillips, 
ChevronTexaco and PDVSA, and the fourth and last of these 
projects, is already producing heavy crude.  Its upgrader is 
expected to come on line in the latter part of 2004. 
 
4. (U) This multiplicity of projects and fields has made it 
difficult to assess the actual production by private oil 
companies, which has become increasingly important as 
PDVSA,s own production is believed to be dropping.  (Note: 
This will become more complicated in 2005 when the first 
production is expected from a field developed under a "Risk 
Exploration Agreement" under which private companies took on 
exploration risks in assigned fields.  End Note)  The private 
sector has generally been credited with the production of 
approximately a million barrels of oil per day, with both the 
Strategic Associations and the convenios each  believed to be 
contributing about half. 
 
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AND THE NUMBER SEEMS TO BE... 
----------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) Econoff recently received a document prepared 
following a producers luncheon in December in which the 
company representatives present gave average monthly 
production numbers for both oil and gas production from their 
fields as well as a few operational notes.  That information, 
covering most but not all of the Operating Agreements, is 
reproduced in para. 8 below. 
 
6. (SBU) According to the document, December production by 
non-PDVSA producers was as follows: 
 
Operating Agreements Production: 
 
-- Eastern Venezuela  207,511 b/d 
-- Western Venezuela  253,118 b/d 
 
Total                 460,629 b/d 
 
Strategic Association Production: 
 
-- Cerro Negro        121,000 b/d 
-- Hamaca              82,000 b/d 
-- Petrozuata         120,000 b/d (est.) 
-- Sincor             180,000 b/d 
 
Total                 503,000 b/d 
 
GRAND TOTAL           963,629 b/d 
 
As noted above, all the Operating Agreements were not 
included in this document.  South Monagas, a Round One block 
operated by Benton-Vinccler, produces about 22,000 b/d. 
Falcon East and West are small Round Two blocks operated 
respectively by Vinccler and Samson. 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  (SBU) Most industry analysts believe PDVSA's own 
production will continue to decline in 2004 unless a serious 
investment and work program is implemented.  In that case, 
private sector production is ever more important.  There are 
limits, however, to the extent to which it can be increased. 
For instance, on January 28 Joaquin Moreno, President of 
Shell de Venezuela, informed econoff that production at 
Shell's Urdaneta West field has increased to 54,000 b/d and 
is "on its way to 60,000."  When asked if production would be 
60,000 by year end, he responded that it would probably be 
only 55,000-56,000 b/d at the end of 2004 "because of the 
difficulties of the reservoir."  Urdaneta West produces a 
desirable crude and Shell has been requested by PDVSA to 
produce as much as it can.  Other fields produce less 
desirable crudes and their operators have received no such 
requests.  There are also technical constraints such as 
pipeline and terminal capacity.   Finally, the private sector 
production, and particularly that from the extra heavy crude 
projects, does not produce the same revenue stream for the 
GOV as PDVSA's own production.  In sum, the private sector is 
not likely to provide a magic bullet to stabilize Venezuela's 
production levels, at least in the short term.  We hope, 
however, to use this information as the basis on which to 
calculate the extent to which the private sector may be able 
to increase its production in 2004.  End Comment. 
 
8. (SBU) Production and operational notes follow below: 
 
--------------------------------- 
FIELD LISTING BY INVESTMENT ROUND 
--------------------------------- 
 
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ROUND ONE 
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Guarico East ) Average production for the month was 280 b/d 
with 60 percent water cut with 3 active wells.  Also injected 
370 barrels of water per day. 
 
Pedernales ) Average production was 6,839 b/d of 22.6 
percent API crude, 46.25 mscf/d of gas and 14.42 percent 
water cut.  Injecting 98 percent of the gas and 100 percent 
of the produced water.  Operates 21 active oil wells, 3 gas 
injectors and one water injector.  Plans to clean up 7 wells 
with coiled tubing and perforate additional intervals in 3 
wells during 2004.  No plans for new drilling. 
 
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ROUND TWO 
--------- 
 
Boscan ) Average production for the month was 109,500 b/d as 
compared with 115,000 b/d potential. 
 
Colon ) Average production for the month was 21,094 b/d, 64 
percent water cut and 12.1 mscf/d from 46 active wells. 
Plans to drill 2 tertiary wells and 1 cretaceous well during 
 
second half of 2004. 
 
DZO (Desarollo Zulia Occidental) ) Average production for 
the month was 14,799 b/d of 35-40 degree API crude and 0.3 
mscf/d from 28 active wells. 
 
Guarico West ) Average production for the month was 2,862 
b/d with 40.1 percent water cut from 35 active wells and 43.4 
mscf/d of gas from Copa Maloya Field. 
 
Jusepin ) Average production for the block was 29,865 from 
35,000 b/d potential of 35 degree API crude and 58.6 mscf/d 
from 9 active oil wells, one water injection and three gas 
injectors.  Currently injecting 80.4 mscf/d in the western 
panel with 3 gas injection wells.  Plans to drills just one 
well during 2004. 
 
Oritupano-Leona ) Average production for the block was 
47,500 b/d with 89 percent water cut and 23.1 mscf/d.  Base 
line production 8000 b/d.  Plans to operate 1 drilling rig 
for 17 development wells and 2 workover rigs. 
 
Quiamare-La Ceiba ) Average production for the month was 
14,100 b/d with 21 percent water cut and 24 mscf/d from 26 
active wells.  Injected an average of 3,800 barrels of water 
per day.  Currently negotiating gas price with PDVSA to 
increase gas production to about 50 million. 
 
Quiriquire ) Average production for the month was 16,257 b/d 
with 26 percent water cut and 324 mscf/d for a gas delivery 
target of 300 mscf/d from 50 wells.  Injected an average of 
5,709 barrels of water per day.  Currently negotiating with 
PDVSA to increase gas deliveries to an additional 50 mscf/d. 
 
Sanvi-Guere ) Average production for the month was 2,220 b/d 
with 62 percent water cut from 26 active wells. 
 
Urdaneta West ) Average production for the block was 50,700 
b/d (potential 54,200 b/d) from 43 active wells. 
 
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ROUND THREE 
----------- 
 
Acema ) Average production for the block was 3,400 b/d, 4.9 
mscf/d and 45 percent water cut from 22 active wells. 
Currently injecting 1,580 barrels of water per day. 
 
Ambrosio ) Average production was 4,081 b/d of 30.6 degree 
API crude, 9.84 mscf/d and 29 percent water cut, from 9 wells 
on natural flow and 11 wells on gas lift. 
 
B-2X 68/79 & B-2X 70/80 ) Average production for the two 
blocks was 6,246 b/d of 22.4 percent API crude, 30.0 mcf/d 
and 15 percent water cut from 111 active wells, for a base 
line production for the month of 3,336 b/d. 
 
Boqueron ) Average production for the month was 8,510 b/d of 
35-40 degree API crude and 34 Mscf/d from 11 active wells. 
Production declined from 22,000 b/d in 2002 to about the 
current 10,000 b/d because of delays in the completion of a 
gas injection project and asphaltine drop out in the wells. 
Production had to be reduced to allow the reservoir to 
re-pressurize.  Currently injecting an average of 78 mscf/d 
from 2 injectors. 
 
Cabimas ) Average production for the block was 6,453 b/d 
from a potential of 8,200 b/d of 20.6 degree API crude, 5.9 
percent water cut and 9.6 mscf/d from 156 active wells.  Base 
line production 2,696 b/d. 
 
Caracoles ) Average production for the month was 6,971 b/d 
with a 63.9 percent water cut from 93 active wells.  Base 
line crude production, therefore, averaged 1,600 b/d. 
 
Casma-Anaco ) Average production for the month was 802 b/d 
from 2 active wells.  Finished working on 2 wells with coiled 
tubing unit; 1 tested salt water and the other is waiting for 
workover. 
 
Dacion/Ganso/Levas/Tortola ) Average production for the 
 
month was 70,010 b/d of 19.6 degree API crude, 72 percent 
water cut from 207 wells. 
 
Intercampo N. ) Average production for the month was 22,046 
b/d with 39.1 percent water cut from 132 active wells. 
Drilled 2 horizontal development wells for acombined rate of 
445 b/d and one vertical well to 6,686 feet with 23 b/d test. 
 Base line crude production was 3,300 b/d. 
Plan to drill 33 development wells in 2004 and currently 
preparing proposals for 8 additional development wells. 
 
Kaki & Maulpa ) Average production from these two fields for 
the month was 2,100 b/d of 44 degree API crude and 48 mscf/d 
from 18 active wells.  Currently injecting 39 mscf/d and 674 
barrels of water per day. 
 
La Concepcion ) Average combined tertiary/cretaceous 
production for the block was 12,500 b/d, 38 percent water 
cut, and 27.8 mcf/d delivered to PDVSA from 104 oil wells and 
8 gas wells. 
 
LL-652 ) Average production for the block was 9,580 b/d. 
 
Mata ) Average production for the block was 5,100 b/d, 36.7 
mscf/d and 65 percent water cut.  Currently injecting 15.7 
mscf/d and 9,410 barrels of water per day.  Operating one 
workover rig shared with Acema Field. 
 
Mene Grande ) Average production for the month was 14,300 
b/d with 52 percent water cut from 241 wells. 
SHAPIRO 
 
 
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