Shell Namibia Upstream B.V, which is carrying out appraisal work on its oil find off the coast of Namibia , has applied to the Environmental Commissioner seeking to drill additional exploration wells.
The oil giant which holds exploration rights over the Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 0039 situated in the Orange Basin , is seeking to amend the conditions of its current Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) granted in 2020 and expiring in August this year to allow it to drill an additional 2-10 exploration wells.
The oil major said the planned drilling will be carried out using a drill ship provided by Platform Support Vessels (PSV).
The contract to supply the PSVs, was awarded to Bourbon in 2021 and included a fully integrated logistics package contract comprising of international freight forwarding, integrated logistics services and PSV (Platform Supply Vessel) services to support two deepwater offshore exploration campaigns in Namibia.
Shell Plc, through its subsidiary Shell Namibia Upstream B.V, the National Petroleum Company of Namibia and Qatar Energy, is said to have discovered a working petroleum system for light oil in the Orange Basin, 270km from the town of Oranjemund, where drilling operations commenced in early December 2021 and were safely completed in early February 2022.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies is carryingout an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for block 2912 as it continues with appraisal work on its new oil find off the coast of Namibia.
The oil company plans to drill upto 10 exploration and appraisal well within the block, with drilling expected to take between three to four months, commencing in the second quarter of 2023.
The drill areas is 5,206km2 and located 350km from Luderitz and 340km from Oranjemund at depths between 2,940m and 3,700m
