The Ngamia 1 site in Turkana where Tullow Oil struck oil. Photo|File Nation Media Group
Nairobi, Kenya – British independent oil company Tullow Oil plc on Friday announced a fifth consecutive major oil discovery in northern Kenya, as global explorers intensify the hunt for commercial oil in the East African nation.
Tullow said it discovered and sampled moveable oil with an estimated 100 meters of net oil pay in good quality sandstone reservoirs in an exploration well, onshore in Northern Kenya.
“The Agete-1 wildcat well is part of a major exploration campaign and has made the fifth consecutive oil discovery in the first of a chain of multiple rift basins across Tullow’s acreage in the region,” said a statement from the company.
The firm says the discovery de-risks several follow-on prospects located to the north and is on trend with the Twiga South, Ekales, and Ngamia oil discoveries and adds to the significant resource base already discovered.
The Sakson PR5 rig drilled Agete-1 to a total depth of 1,930 metres.
Following completion of logging operations the well will be suspended for future flow testing which will confirm the net pay count.
“The rig will then move to drill the Ewoi-1 wildcat in the east of this basin, targeting a rift flank prospect similar to the recent Etuko oil discovery,” the statement indicated.
Tullow operates the Agete-1 well with a 50 percent interest and Africa Oil (50 percent) has a non-operated interest.
Elsewhere in Kenya, exploration and appraisal activities continue to accelerate with the Amosing-1 well, in Block 10BB, expected to commence drilling before the end of November with the Weatherford 804 rig.
The Etuko-1 well test in Block 10BB is also scheduled to commence this month with the PR Marriott 46 rig which recently arrived in country and the Ekales-1 well test is scheduled to commence with the new SMP-5 work over unit in early December.
Other previous discoveries in the basin include Twiga South-1, Ekales-1, Ngamia-1 and Etuko.
The operator has eight more prospective wells to drill after success in the initial five.
In 2014, Tullow plans basin opening wells for North Lokichar and Kerio.
Other basins targeted for drilling in Kenya include Turkana, Turkwel, Suguta, Kerio Valley and Nyanza. In total, the consortium with Africa Oil has over 100 leads and prospects.
The real extent of Kenya’s petroleum resources will be determined by the number of basins where finds are made.
Africa Oil and Tullow are also having discussions with the Kenya government, which will include consideration of a ‘start-up phase’ oil production with potential to deliver significant production rates, potentially with oil export via road or rail in advance of a full-scale pipeline development.
