ReconAfrica spuds Damara Fold Belt exploration well

Reconnaissance Energy Africa will explore the Otavi reservoir in the Damara Fold Belt in PEL 73, onshore Namibia.

Sept. 2, 2025

Key Highlights

ReconAfrica spudded the Kavango West 1X exploration well in the Damara Fold Belt onshore Namibia.
About 1,500 m of the Otavi reservoir is expected to be penetrated.

Memorandum of Understanding area in Angola comprising 5.2 million acres and PEL 73 in Namibia comprising 6.3 million acres

Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (ReconAfrica) will explore the Otavi reservoir in the Damara Fold Belt in PEL 73, onshore Namibia.

Exploration well Kavango West 1X spudded on July 31, 2025, and total depth is expected by end-November. The well is currently drilling the 8.5-in. section at a depth of about 1,910 m.

The final casing string will be set at about 2,400 m before drilling encounters the Otavi reservoir in October. About 1,500 m of reservoir is expected to be penetrated before reaching 3,800-4,250 m TD.

Drilling in the Damara Fold Belt has been derisked by the results of Naingopo, which encountered reservoir in the Otavi carbonates, hydrocarbon shows, and oil to surface, the company said in March.

PEL 073 covers about 25,341 sq km in Kavango and Owambo basins in Northeast Namibia.

ReconAfrica is operator (70%) with partners BW Energy Ltd. (20%) and NAMCOR (10%).

About the Author

Alex Procyk

Upstream Editor

Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).