Chamwe Kaira
Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) Ltd says drilling of the Kavango West 1X exploration well is progressing as planned.
Brian Reinsborough, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said the final casing string has been set at a depth of about 2,300 metres, just above the targeted Otavi reservoir.
“Currently, the well is drilling ahead into the Otavi carbonate reservoir, which is the primary target in the Damara Fold Belt. We anticipate drilling an extensive section of the potential reservoir, which will be followed by a full evaluation of the Otavi section. The Kavango West 1X well is testing a massive structural closure in the Otavi section measuring almost 20 kilometres long by 3 kilometres wide,” he said.
Reinsborough explained that drilling advanced faster than expected in the shallower sections of the well, leading to a short delay as the company waited for the final casing strings to arrive on site.
He said operations have now resumed and remain on schedule. Recon expects to reach total depth in the second half of November. The well is expected to penetrate around 1,500 metres of potential reservoir before reaching a total depth of about 3,800 metres.
“Once at total depth, an extensive logging programme will commence with results expected to be made public around year-end,” Reinsborough said.
ReconAfrica stated that from this point until total depth is reached, all communications regarding the Kavango West 1X drilling will be under “tight hole” status, meaning no details of well results will be shared until logging of the Otavi reservoir section is completed.
“Strict adherence to tight hole status prior to the company obtaining logging results should not be interpreted as being either negative or positive. Any drilling updates provided between now and the completion of logging of the Otavi reservoir zone will only include an updated drilling depth,” the company said.
ReconAfrica is a Canadian oil and gas company exploring the Damara Fold Belt and Kavango Rift Basin in northeastern Namibia, southeastern Angola, and northwestern Botswana.
ReconAfrica holds petroleum licences covering 13 million contiguous acres and also operates the Ngulu block in the shallow waters offshore Gabon.
Caption
Reconnaissance Energy Africa is conducting drilling of the Kavango West 1X.
- Photo: ReconAfrica
