According to official reports by state company YPFB in early-April 2020, operations on Total's Nancahuazu X1 ST new-field wildcat (NFW) well in the Azero block has been normalized after the governments of Lagunillas Municipality and Santa Cruz Department, in conjunction with the state company, successfully facilitated the process of personnel replacement on the site despite the quarantine in force in the country due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Last activity reports from March 2020 indicated that the operator was drilling ahead below 4,113 m (13,494 ft) on the sidetracked well in late-February 2020. Nancahuazu X1 ST was recently re-entered in November 2019 after it was previously suspended at the depth of 3,127 m (10,259 ft) due to force majeure during the recent political crisis in the country in late-October 2019. It was sidetracked from the original well earlier in the same month at the depth below 3,100 m (10,175 ft) after the original was P&Aâd in mid-October 2019. The original well was initially spudded with planned depth of 5,200 m (17,060 ft) and objective in the Huamapampa Formation. Total operates the block with 50% interest, while partner Gazprom holds the remaining 50% equity, although a subsidiary of state company YPFB, YPFB Azero, will gain 55% interest if the well is successful.  The Azero block covers 7,856.25 sq km of land on the Sub-Andean Zone of Chaco Basin, between the departments of Chuquisaca and Santa Cruz.  Contract for the Azero block was signed between the companies in August 2013, before it was made official in June 2014. Total officially started exploration activities in the block with a magnetotelluric (MT) survey that was completed in late-December 2016.  Background Information  YPFB has estimated the potential of the Azero block at 5 Tscf of gas. According to reports from 2017, planned investment for the block was said to be around USD 80 million for the drilling of Nancahuazu X1 (sometimes listed as Nancahuasu) and followed by Nancahuazu X2, pending on positive results.
According to official reports by state company YPFB in early-April 2020, operations on Total's Nancahuazu X1 ST new-field wildcat (NFW) well in the Azero block has been normalized after the governments of Lagunillas Municipality and Santa Cruz Department, in conjunction with the state company, successfully facilitated the process of personnel replacement on the site despite the quarantine in force in the country due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Last activity reports from March 2020 indicated that the operator was drilling ahead below 4,113 m (13,494 ft) on the sidetracked well in late-February 2020. 