ReconAfrica moves toward TD in Namibia exploration drilling program

Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. is drilling into the Otavi carbonate reservoir in onshore Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 73 in northeast Namibia.

Drilling of the Kavango West 1X exploration well had advanced ahead of schedule in the shallower section of the well, which caused a deferral of operations for several weeks at the current casing depth while waiting on casing strings for the final section of the well.

Operations have resumed and drilling remains on the original expected schedule. The final casing string has been set at a depth of about 2,300 m, just above the targeted Otavi reservoir. Currently, the well is drilling ahead into the Otavi carbonate reservoir, which is the primary target in the Damara Fold Belt.

The well is testing a large structural closure in the Otavi section measuring almost 20 km long by 3 km wide. It is expected to penetrate about 1,500 m of potential reservoir before reaching total depth (TD) at about 3,800 m.

Recon anticipates reaching TD in second-half November. Once there, a logging program will begin with results expected to be made public by yearend. 

Kavango West 1X is the second test in the Damara Fold Belt play. The play is a large fold extending across 11.5 million acres in Namibia and Angola.

The reservoir is expected to contain 346 million bbl of gross unrisked (30 million bbl of gross risked) prospective light-medium crude oil resources or 1,839 bcf of gross unrisked (133 bcf risked) prospective natural gas resources.