Tullow Oil spuds Kenya well

Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 11:06 Monday, 30 January 2012 16:18

Written by Administrator

Africa Oil Corp has announced the spudding of the Ngamia-1 well on Block 10BB, Kenya

Tullow Oil plc is the operator with a 50 per cent working interest and Africa Oil holds the remaining 50 per cent. The Ngamia-1 well will be drilled to a projected depth of 2,700 m to test the oil potential in Miocene age sandstones. The well is located in the Lokichar basin, a north-south trending rift basin that is part of the East African Rift System. Live oil was encountered in the Lokichar basin by the Loperot-1 well which was drilled in 1992 and recovered 29 degree API crude from Miocene sandstones.

The Ngamia-1 well will test a prospect that is similar to oil prospects drilled by Tullow and its partners early in the exploration efforts in the Lake Albert Rift Basin of Uganda. Drilling and evaluation of the well is expected to take between 60 and 90 days. A number of prospects and leads have been mapped and would be prospective following a success of the Ngamia prospect. The Ngamia-1 will be the first well drilled on the block by the partnership and will mark the start of a multi-well drilling program in Block 10BB and adjacent blocks.

"We are very excited to be drilling our first well with Tullow,” Keith Hill, President and CEO of Africa Oil, said. “They've had enormous success with the Lake Albert Rift Basin project where in excess of one billion barrels have been discovered and this shares many geological similarities with our Kenyan assets. Our Ngamia prospect could be a play opener for another great success in the region."