A foreign company will carry out the first test export with more than 15,000 barrels of crude oil extracted from the Alameda-2 well.
The export plan from the Alameda-2 well is moving forward.
The Australian firm Melbana Energy plans to export in June A shipment of Cuban oil considered to be of high quality. This crude was extracted from the Alameda-2 well, located in the municipality of Martí, Matanzas, where more than 15,000 barrels have already been stored.
The shipment will be the first as a "test export" and will allow for the evaluation of both logistics and product quality for possible larger-scale sales.
Since April, the well has been producing in a controlled and stable manner, according to the company itself. Work has also been completed on the Amistad-2 well, the first well designed to maximize the yield of the oil formation known as Unit 1B.
Lighter oil with lower operating costs
Unlike the thick crude oil common in the area, Alameda-2 crude is lighter. The company claims this type of oil is more valuable and easier to refine. The extraction process includes primary separation at the well site, and the product is then transported by road approximately 50 kilometers to processing facilities. CUPET, where it is processed and stored.
The process requires little labor, which reduces operating costs, according to the technical report released by Melbana.
Still no buyer defined
Although they already have a shipment available, the company did not reveal the name of the potential buyer. However, it indicated that the availability of a coastal vessel or the option of combining the shipment with another larger crude oil export is being evaluated.
Melbana is also in the advanced stages of drilling two new wells. One of them will be located just 850 meters from Alameda-2. The access construction has been completed, and permits have been obtained to begin work, which will take less than three weeks.
A long term project
The company's CEO, Andrew Purcell, said the results of this export, along with the development of the Amistad-2 well, will be key to securing financing to continue the field's development. The final investment decision is expected before the end of the year.
Foreign presence in the Cuban energy sector
Melbana Energy is one of the few foreign companies active in the Cuban oil industry. It has been operating in the country for several years, after receiving official authorization in 2015 to explore and drill in Block 9, an area managed by CUPET.
In that area, the potential for up to 141 million barrels of oil is estimated, although these figures still depend on more solid results from upcoming studies and production tests.
The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Havana, and Varadero. Since its inception, it has stated its intention to comply with local regulations and minimize its impact on the environment and nearby communities.
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7 comments
❓Who understands this?❓ We have a daily deficit of 800 to almost 1000 MW due to a lack of fuel. Quality domestic oil is extracted and exported. It's like buying rice at the grocery store and selling it for 200cup and have to buy it on the street for 290.00cupI think it's a mockery of the tormented Cuban people, who live with the torture of endless and continuous blackouts. With "friends" like that in our country, why do we need enemies?
I don't understand, if Cuba has to import crude oil, why would it export domestically produced crude oil that is already here?
And who pays for the company's profits? Or are they going to give away the investment? Who would think so?
What is this Tato?
na na na na
The unseen Cuba with a lack of oil and the little that is worth exporting and the Cubans screw everyone, the countries give what they have left over and we give what we don't have if that were to solve the problems of the Cubans it would be fine but Cuba is a math textbook full of problems and now they have all come out and that has as a consequence that the Cubans draw their own conclusions
Will it not be possible to refine and use it in our distributed generation to alleviate some of the blackouts, especially at night and during times that are so inconvenient for Cubans, as well as to use that quality oil in trucks? Should they export what's left over, not what we need?
That's a huge lack of respect for the people. With the country's energy deficit, they have the nerve to claim that oil will be exported. I don't understand.
But will it be possible, how are they going to export if there is nothing here for us? What a huge barbarity,