KARACHI: State-owned upstream oil and gas exploration and production company Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has successfully completed a workover and sidetrack operation at the Adam West X-1 well in Sindh’s Hala Block, restoring gas production more than six years after the well was shut-in due to water breakthrough, the company said on Monday.
The Hala Block, situated in a mature hydrocarbon region of Sindh, has been the site of several gas discoveries over the past decade. Pakistan, which faces chronic shortages in domestic gas output, has increasingly relied on tighter reservoir management, workovers and rehabilitation of older wells to help supplement declining production across mature fields.
The Adam West field, located in District Matiari, was originally discovered in 2014 in the Lower Goru formation, with the well beginning production in 2015. Output stopped in 2019 after water inflow made the well unproductive, prompting multiple unsuccessful attempts to isolate the lower water-producing intervals. According to PPL, reservoir modelling later confirmed that a sidetrack was both technically and commercially viable.
“Adam West X-1 ST has been successfully tested at gas rates of approximately 8.5 MMscfd at Wellhead Pressure (WHP) of 540 psig and choke size of 58/64,” PPL said in a statement, adding that workover operations began in Oct. 2025.
PPL holds a 65 percent working interest in the Hala Block and operates it jointly with partner Mari Energies Limited, which has a 35 percent share.
The company described the sidetrack as an inherently challenging undertaking “with significant risks and uncertainties,” saying it was executed after detailed planning.
The Adam West X-1 sidetrack will now be connected to the Hala production facilities once rig demobilization is complete. “The well will be tied-in to Hala facilities at the earliest, after rig demobilization,” PPL said.
The company added that it “remains committed to energy security, growth and prosperity of the country,” positioning the restoration of output from Adam West as part of broader efforts to stabilize Pakistan’s domestic gas supply.
