Oil explorer Tullow to announce drilling results at its third well
PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | FILE An oil rig operated by Tullow Oil. Tullow will announce drilling results of its third well in Kenya in February 2013.
What you need to know:
- The company struck more than 100 metres of net oil pay at its first well located in Block 10BB in March last year, raising Kenya’s prospects of becoming an oil producing nation
- Besides releasing drilling results for its third onshore well, Tullow is expected to announce the results of testing of its second well, Twiga South-1, which are crucial in giving an indication of the country’s potential of being an oil producer
British oil explorer Tullow Oil Plc will announce drilling results of its third well in Kenya next month.
In a statement on Friday, where the company gave an update of its operations, Tullow said it considered 2012 a successful year in its operations.
The company struck more than 100 metres of net oil pay at its first well located in Block 10BB in March last year, raising Kenya’s prospects of becoming an oil producing nation.
The discovery has since been followed by another one at the Twiga South-1 well, located in Block 13T.
“The clear highlight in 2012 was establishing Kenya as a new oil nation with two frontier discoveries at Ngamia-1 and Twiga Soutgh-1.
“Results for Paipai-1 in Block 10A, which is currently in the top seal of the main objective at a depth of 3,850 metres, are expected in February,” read the statement in part.
Together with an offshore well in the Lamu Basin that the company is drilling together with three other oil and gas exploration companies, Tullow has so far dug four wells in Kenya.
Schedule
In its drilling schedule, the company plans to drill an additional 11 exploration wells in Kenya and Ethiopia this year.
Last year’s oil discoveries have fuelled increased interest in the local oil blocks among international companies.
This has further been accelerated by discoveries of commercial quantities of oil and gas in neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania, respectively.
The two countries share the same geological structure with Kenya, a pointer that the country could be seated on substantive oil or gas reserves.
In September last year, Australian firm Pan Continental announced that it had discovered 52 metres of natural gas deposits at Mbawa 1 well located in Block L8, which it operates jointly with Tullow Kenya BV, Apache Corporation and Origin Energy.
Besides releasing drilling results for its third onshore well, Tullow is expected to announce the results of testing of its second well, Twiga South-1, which are crucial in giving an indication of the country’s potential of being an oil producer.
