Matra Petroleum reported that production commenced on Monday, March 26 at Well A-13 on its 100 percent owned Sokolovskoe oil field discovery in Orenburg. The well is currently flowing oil naturally, as we expected, and is likely to take some time to stabilize. Production is also likely to be affected during the next few weeks due to the start of the thaw period when oil trucking may be difficult and also during the commissioning period for new equipment.

The thaw period is expected to last approximately four to six weeks following which a workover rig will be used to install a down-hole electrical submersible pump on Well A-13 to optimize production.

Peter Hind, Matra's Managing Director said, "We are pleased that we have been able to start production at Well A-13 despite recent poor weather conditions in Orenburg. The well will take some time to stabilize before we can report meaningful production numbers.

Tags: Matra Petroleum