The company said the well is currently being cleaned up and this flow test is not a headline flow rate test, but a data gathering exercise.

Xcite Energy exploration and development director Steve Kew said the company has completed all major elements of the production test work program.

"This is a significant step forward for the Company in proving its technical capabilities in the drilling of these wells with the multi-lateral smart completions that have been installed," Steve added.

"The start-up of the production test has gone well and we shall continue to provide operational updates in due course."

Completion of the final part of the lateral well construction work program included installation of the smart completions equipment enabling individual laterals to be flowed, co-mingled or shut-in, the installation of twin electrical submersible pumps and a down hole safety valve.

The on-rig process and control packages have been linked to the pipeline and in-field dynamically-positioned shuttle tanker, Scott Spirit.

The well is planned to produce a minimum cumulative volume of 45,000 barrels of oil during the flow test period, and the data gathering will be used to calibrate the existing reservoir model and update the Reserves Assessment Report.

This flow test will be carried out at several rates to collect additional reservoir and production data, including data with respect to enhanced oil recovery for a period of three months.

The data will be leveraged to determine the certainty pertaining to the future oil, gas and water production profiles and recoverable reserves from the prospect.

 

Â