Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (ReconAfrica) will sidetrack the Kavango West 1X well in Namibia, investigate a petroleum system in Angola, and reprocess seismic offshore Gabon.

In Namibia, flow test samples from the Huttenberg and Elandshoek formations in the Kavango West 1X (KW1X) well in PEL 73 indicate that the natural gas collected in the samples are thermogenic with liquid potential and have maturities ranging from late oil to early gas.

A horizontal well sidetrack will be drilled at KW1X in accordance with the continuing exploration of the Damara Fold Belt. The objectives of this horizontal well flow test are to determine deliverability of the well bore, liquid yield from the gas stream, and formation pressure response.

ReconAfrica said required equipment has been procured and is on site or in transit. Rig maintenance is complete, and all permits have been filed with appropriate regulatory bodies for ongoing operations.

With the Jarvie-1 rig having already resumed operations, work in the vertical well bore has begun with the removal of the casing, followed by the setting of the whipstock at about 2,500 m before horizontal drilling begins.

Pending approvals and equipment arrival, horizontal drilling will take place in October and is scheduled to take about a month. The current design targets a horizontal wellbore of up to 1,000 m to optimally intersect natural fractures across the Kavango structure. The well will be completed open hole, without casing or cement, to maximize flow rate from the fractures and identified porosity zones.

ReconAfrica said flow testing will occur immediately following completion of the well, which will be tested before acid washing. 

In Angola, preliminary results from the soil-sampling program conducted on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) acreage during May and June suggests there is a working petroleum system that is thermogenic with liquid content potential, like the Namibian side of the play. Micro seeps at surface suggest vertical migration from deep hydrocarbon accumulations, according to the operator.

The next phase of operations will be to shoot a 2D seismic program, possibly in 2027, to outline the structural trend of the Damara Fold Belt.

In Gabon, the 3D seismic reprocessing program at Ngulu is using the most current state-of-the art reprocessing technology, including full waveform inversion to help illuminate oil bearing reservoirs within Loba field and the vast salt related exploration inventory on the concession.

The reprocessing project is scheduled to be completed before yearend, with a concurrent resource report to be commissioned and appraisal well locations to the Loba oil discovery to also be selected. Well planning is already underway for an anticipated spud, ReconAfrica said.

ReconAfrica is the operator of PEL 73 (70%) with partners BW Energy Ltd. (20%) and the National Petroleum Corp. of Namibia (NAMCOR, 10%).