Tullow discovers oil near its first successful well

Africa Oil has discovered oil in Turkana about two kilometres from where Tullow Oil got the first successful well in Kenya.

Africa Oil, which operates a joint venture with Tullow Oil in Blocks 10BB and 13T, said the Ngamia-2 appraisal well encountered 39 metres of net oil pay and 11 metres of net gas pay. The net oil pay is a measure of the thickness of a successful reservoir, a key guide on viability for commercial exploitation.

In a statement sent by its partner Tullow, Africa Oil said the well has been suspended for testing but four other additional appraisal wells would be drilled in the Ngamia area for an extended well test programme.

“The success of the Ngamia-2 exploratory appraisal well builds on our major basin opening discovery well, Ngamia-1. The reservoirs were of similar quality and the well will be suspended for testing,” said Angus McCoss, exploration director at Tullow Oil.

Commercial quantities

Last week, UK’s BG Group and Australian’s Pancontinental Oil and Gas announced that they had encountered oil and gas at Sunbird well in Block L10A off shore, less than 100 kilometres, south-east of Mombasa.

READ: Oil discovered off Kenya’s coast

Africa Oil said that tests at the Agete-1 well, which has earlier been confirmed to have 100 metres of net oil pay, had confirmed consistent flows of 500 barrels of oils per day. At Ngamia-1, the net oil pay was 100 metres with a flow of 281 barrels per day.

Kenya has discovered commercial quantities of oil, but the commerciality of the gas find at offshore to the east African coast is yet to be determined. The Lokichar Basin in Turkana is estimated to have about a billion barrels of reserves.

The largest discovery so far is the Amosing-1 well where the net oil pay is between 160 and 200 metres. Twiga-2, owned by Tullow and Africa Oil, has a net oil pay of 62 metres at Block 13T.