Australia’s oil firm, Kinetiko Energy, has started a three-week drilling campaign in test well 271-KA03PT10 at its onshore gas project in South Africa designed to boost output in support of a planned LNG pilot project, scheduled for commissioning in late 2026.
EnergyCapitalPower confirmed on Wednesday that the well will evaluate gas flow rates, reservoir pressure and depletion curves, with initial flow results expected by August 2025.
Kinetiko, a gas explorer focused on advanced shallow conventional on shore gas in South Africa, will incorporate laboratory findings from Oilfield Technologies Australia (OTA) in deploying the test well project.
“The Company is confident these revised methods will achieve consistent and enhanced gas deliverability,” stated Adam Sierakowski, Executive Chairman, Kinetiko Energy.
The executive said the drilling project sits next to five existing gas-producing wells.
He added that the project aligns with Kinetiko’s broader plan to support South Africa’s energy transformation and security.
In addition, Investor interest is also growing in the country’s helium and methane sector.
South Africa’s growing gas shortage
On its part, South Africa faces an imminent gas deficit, after recent efforts by President Cyril Ramaphosa to reach a long term gas purchase deal with the United States failed.
US President Trump has accused Johannesburg of fronting anti-white policies and doing little to stop what he called “genocide” against South Africa’s white minority.
While the country holds significant shale gas potential in the Karoo Basin, a moratorium on exploration due to environmental concerns has stalled progress.
This dire situation leaves South Africa relying heavily on gas imports from neighboring Mozambique.
However, concerns over dwindling supply and infrastructure limitations have pushed the government to diversify its sources.
The country’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa recently said South Africa will no longer be able to import natural gas from Mozambique because of diminishing reserves in Pande.
Speaking at the Natural Gas Symposium in Johannesburg earlier in May, Ramokgopa urged South Africans to work together to avoid the gas shortage.
Consequently, Kinetiko resumed upstream efforts that same month to unlock gas supply and avert a potential shortage.
The company had raised up to $2.2 million to fund its exploration and development activities in South Africa.
But it encountered inhibited flow problems during drilling tests at its shallow conventional gas projects in the Mpumalanga province, which it now hopes to address through optimized drilling techniques.
