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Drilling at Mopane-2A reveals significant hydrocarbon presence in Namibia’s PEL 83.
The PEL 83 Joint Venture partners have revealed an additional oil and gas condensate discovery in the Mopane field in Namibia’s Orange Basin.
The Mopane field is estimated to hold more than ten billion barrels of oil.
Also known as Well #4, the Mopane-2A well was spud [drilling operations commenced there] on 2 December 2024 and has encountered hydrocarbons in two separate reservoirs.
The well is part of Petroleum Exploration License 83 (PEL 83) which covers blocks 2813A and 2814B and is operated by a subsidiary of Portugal’s Galp Energia.
The drilling operations at Mopane-2A revealed a gas-condensate column in the AVO-3 reservoir and a light oil column in the AVO-4 reservoir, as part of the second campaign on blocks 2813A and 2814B.
Both reservoirs exhibit high-quality sands with favourable porosity and permeability, alongside high pressures and low fluid viscosity. The reservoirs contain minimal CO₂ and no H₂S concentrations, and no water contacts were detected.
Galp and its partners – Sintana Energy, which indirectly holds a 49% interest in Custos Energy, owning a 10% working interest in PEL 83, and NAMCOR with its 10% stake – are set to further analyse the data to enhance their understanding of the Mopane complex. This analysis will aid in assessing the commercial viability of the discoveries.
The initial discovery of light oil in the high-quality sands of blocks 2813A and 2814B was made in January 2024, following the drilling of the Mopane-1X well.
The subsequent drilling of Mopane-2X in March 2024 confirmed the presence of a significant light oil column in these reservoirs.
As the exploration and appraisal campaign continues in the Mopane area, the drillship is preparing to move to the Mopane-3X well site. This next well, known as Well #5, targets the stacked prospects AVO-10 & AVO-13, with drilling expected to commence in January 2025.
