ReconAfrica advances Kavango well

ReconAfrica has resumed work on its Kavango West 1X well, with gas samples indicating thermogenic gas and potential for liquids ahead of a planned horizontal flow test.

The Calgary-based oil and gas company said samples from the Huttenberg and Elandshoek formations showed gas maturity ranging from late oil to early gas.

ReconAfrica said the results could indicate the presence of liquids in the gas stream, but the extent of that potential will only become clearer once the well is flow tested.

The company said the planned horizontal test is intended to establish sustained flow rates, while additional samples will be collected to determine liquid composition and yield.

The Jarvie-1 rig has resumed work on the vertical wellbore, beginning with the removal of casing. A whipstock, which is used to redirect drilling from the existing

wellbore, will then be installed at about 2 500 metres.

ReconAfrica said regulatory amendments for the programme had been submitted. Subject to regulatory approval and the arrival of equipment, horizontal drilling could begin in October and take about a month.

The planned horizontal section could extend up to 1 000 metres and is designed to intersect natural fractures in the Kavango structure. The company plans to complete the section as an open hole, without casing or cement, to maximise access to fractures and porous zones.

Flow testing is expected to begin immediately after completion and before an acid wash. ReconAfrica said the test will be used to determine the well's sustained flow rate, the volume of liquids produced with the gas and the formation's response to pressure.

The Kavango West 1X well forms part of ReconAfrica's exploration programme in Namibia's Damara Fold Belt.

The company also reported results from its wider exploration portfolio.

In Angola, ReconAfrica said soil sampling conducted during the second quarter indicated what it described as an active petroleum system on acreage covered by its memorandum of understanding, with similarities to the plays identified on Namibia's PEL 73.

Offshore Gabon, the company said reprocessing of 3D seismic data at the Ngulu block is expected to be completed by year-end, alongside preparation of a resource report.