Trinidad: Touchstone drills first Central block well in nearly 20 years
Touchstone Exploration is drilling the Carapal Ridge-3 development well (CR-3) on the Central block onshore in Trinidad as part of its natural gas development program, marking the first well in this pool in nearly two decades.
Touchstone holds a 65% operating working interest in CR-3, with Heritage Limited holding the remaining 35%. The well was spud on 23 November 2025 using Star Valley drilling rig #205 and drilled to a total depth of about 8,200 ft over 35 days.
CR-3 encountered a substantial 1,082 ft of net sand, including around 1,000 ft of Herrera sand, with wireline, mud logging and drilling data indicating hydrocarbon-bearing sands throughout the Herrera interval. The well also established a second gas-charged play in the Karamat formation, which is being evaluated for potential future drilling.
Completion operations are underway, and tie-in to the Central block natural gas processing facility is targeted for the first quarter of 2026. Initial production is expected to begin shortly after tie-in.
