Touchstone Exploration Inc. reported increased natural gas output in Trinidad and Tobago after bringing the Carapal Ridge 3 (CR-3) well on stream in the Central block.
The company in a statement today, said the CR-3 well was successfully tied into the Central block natural gas facility and brought onstream on March 28, 2026. The well is currently flowing natural gas and condensate as it continues to recover drilling and completion fluids.
Touchstone said throughput in the block has grown following the startup. According to the company, “since the Central block acquisition, gross natural gas throughput (excluding Coho-1 volumes) has increased from approximately 16 million standard cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) to 19 MMcf/d through optimization, rising further to approximately 21.5 MMcf/d following the startup of CR-3.”
During the cleanup phase, the well has shown stronger flow. Touchstone noted that “CR-3 has demonstrated intermittent peak rates of up to 5.7 MMcf/d during liquid offloading.”
Carapal Ridge-3 (CR-3) is the first of four planned development wells on the block.
Company President and Chief Executive Officer Paul R. Baay said, “Our current strategy is twofold: maximizing the utilization of existing excess capacity in our processing facilities through targeted drilling and deploying capital toward our highest-priced sales contracts to optimize project returns.”
He added that “the CR-3 well achieves both objectives, adding immediate production while allowing us to benefit from strengthening LNG market fundamentals and improved pricing.”
Baay said, “As the first new well in the field in over 17 years, our team was successful in bringing CR-3 online and into the plant.”
Touchstone said increased production from the well “is expected to accelerate the fulfillment of gas volumes committed under ‘deliver or pay’ requirements, enabling a strategic shift toward the Company’s higher-priced LNG sales contracts.”
On January 6, 2026, Touchstone reported that significant net sand was encountered at CR-3, with completion and tie-in targeted for early 2026. The company said the well encountered approximately 1,082 feet of net sand, including roughly 1,000 feet of net Herrera sand.
In parallel, Touchstone is preparing to restart drilling on its legacy oil blocks. The company previously said CO-374 development well recorded the highest net pay observed to date on its crude oil legacy blocks.
Touchstone holds operatorship across all the prospects and has outlined targets located within or very near established producing fields. The areas benefit from existing road access and infrastructure with connections to both domestic oil markets and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.
Six prospects have been mapped across five onshore blocks. These include Kraken in the Ortoire block, Balrog in Rio Claro, Morag West and Morag East in the Central block, St Croix in Cipero, and Cocos in Charuma. Working interests range from 65% to 80%, with gross acreage spanning roughly 900 acres to more than 3,700 acres per prospect.
