Monumental Energy Brings New Zealand Well Back Online After Workover
According to World Oil, Monumental Energy restarted commercial oil production from the Waihapa H1 well in New Zealand’s onshore Taranaki basin on March 13, following a workover that targeted bypassed pay in the Mount Messenger formation. Seven perforations in the formation produced natural, high-pressure oil flow without additional stimulation. The well, originally drilled in 2008, had previously produced from a deeper zone at rates exceeding 1,500 bpd. Monumental and partner New Zealand Energy Corp. identified roughly 60 meters of prospective bypassed pay above the original producing interval. Stabilized flow rates are pending completion of production testing.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Workover activity is a steady source of field service revenue. This well restarted production without stimulation, but perforation, wellbore evaluation, and production testing all require specialized service crews.
- Bypassed pay identification is driving new workover programs globally. Field service companies with experience in formation evaluation and recompletion work should expect continued demand as operators squeeze more production from legacy wells.
- Proximity to existing infrastructure kept costs down here, but workover scopes on older wells often expand once crews are on location. Subcontractors should price these jobs with contingency in mind.
