Africa Oil Corp has announced the imminent commencement of a multi-well appraisal and exploration drilling programme in Namibia, following the Venus light oil discovery in Block 2913B
The programme is due to commence before the end of February 2023, targeting up to four wells (including the re-entry of the Venus-1X discovery well in Block 2913B), to appraise the Venus discovery and to investigate a potential westerly extension of Venus, the Nara prospect (formerly West Venus) on Block 2912.
Venus-1A on Block 2913B, the first appraisal well on the Venus discovery, will be the first well to be drilled, using the Tungsten Explorer drillship, and will be followed by a drill stem test using the Deepsea Mira. Upon completion, the Venus-1X exploration well will be re-entered and side-tracked using the Deepsea Mira to conduct a second drill stem test. Nara-1X, an exploration well on Block 2912, will then be drilled and potentially flow tested. If that proves successful, the Nara-1A appraisal well could then be drilled in Block 2912 and flow tested.
Africa Oil president and CEO, Keith Hill, said, “The Venus discovery, which according to Wood Mackenzie was the largest oil discovery in 2022, has opened up the Orange Basin as a world-class petroleum province. I am delighted that we are at the forefront of this exciting play through our stakeholding in Impact, and a 20% operated interest that lies on trend with the Venus structure.”
The Venus discovery is a light oil and associated field, located in the Orange Basin approximately 290 km off the coast of southern Namibia, and has an in-water depth of 3 km. The well was drilled to a total depth of 6,296 m and encountered a high-quality light oil-bearing sandstone reservoir of Lower Cretaceous age.
