PetroTal reports on impact of Bretana well failures
PetroTal’s group production averaged 18,805 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in Q3 2025, including approximately 18,325 bopd from the Bretana field and 479 bopd from the Los Angeles field. While recent Bretana production remains substantially higher than last September’s average of 10,333 bopd, technical issues have contributed to a decline in field production since mid-August.
PetroTal experienced pump failures in four producing wells at the Bretana field from December 2024 to February 2025. The pumps were replaced by mid-July 2025, briefly pushing the company’s production over 21,000 bopd.
However, during the course of its investigation into the pump failures, PetroTal discovered leaks in the production tubing in six wells. Leaks in production tubing reduce the efficiency of artificial lift systems, and PetroTal has had to shut-in four producing wells until the tubing can be replaced.
PetroTal is moving to replace the production tubing as quickly as possible. The company plans to complete its ongoing workover campaign at Block 131 by the end of September, at which point the service rig will be mobilized by river barge back to Bretana. Pulling operations to replace production tubing are expected to begin by the end of October, with oil production expected to return throughout the month of November.
The impact of the well failures on PetroTal’s 2025 annual average production, following the completion of the well intervention program as described above, is estimated to amount to less than 1,000 bopd. PetroTal has produced approximately 5.47 million barrels of oil year-to-date in 2025, which equates to an average of 21,135 bopd.
