Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) is analysing hydrocarbon samples from its Kavango West discovery in Namibia to determine the liquid content of the gas, after gas and liquids were successfully flowed to surface from two separate zones and formations.
ReconAfrica President and CEO Brian Reinsborough said the samples have been sent to the United States for analysis following a production test that began in July.
He said the test marked Namibia’s first production test and provided the company with key reservoir information from the vertical well.
“The milestone was significant, and we flowed hydrocarbons to the surface. We flowed gas and liquids from two separate zones and two separate formations,” Reinsborough said.
“The analysis of that is now back in the US, where it is being analysed to determine how much liquid content is in the gas. When you flow hydrocarbons to the surface in an exploration well like this, it’s a big milestone.”
ReconAfrica is now preparing to drill a horizontal well extending almost 1,000 metres across the structure to further assess the reservoir’s production potential and determine the commercial viability of the discovery.
Reinsborough said the horizontal well would build on information obtained from the vertical well and provide further data on the potential development of the discovery.
“We learned a lot from the vertical well, but this horizontal well is going to tell us a lot about the commercial path forward,” he said.
Following completion of the first horizontal well, ReconAfrica plans to drill a second appraisal well and conduct a similar horizontal test.
The company expects results from the two wells to provide the technical information required to determine whether to proceed with development.
“Once that’s complete, we plan to then drill a second appraisal well, back-to-back, and do the same thing, a horizontal well on this and test it as well,” Reinsborough said.
“Those two wells will put us in a position to make an FID decision, hopefully by this time next year.”
The planned appraisal programme is expected to provide further information on hydrocarbon flow rates, liquid content and reservoir performance as ReconAfrica assesses the commercial potential of its Kavango West discovery.
