BW Energy has confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in Namibia’s Kudu block marking another major upstream development that places the desert nation ahead of its neighbour South Africa as far as the Orange Basin is concerned.
In a press release issued on Wednesday and reviewed by Energy in Africa, the company stated that it completed drilling operations on the Kharas-1 appraisal well in the Kudu license area using the Odfjell Drilling-managed Deepsea Mira rig.
“Kharas-1 achieved its technical objective of testing multiple targets within a single penetration and delivered valuable geological, geochemical and petrophysical data,” said Carl Arnet, chief executive at BW Energy.
“The results also confirm, for the first time, the presence of liquid hydrocarbons within the Kudu block and contribute to our understanding of the broader petroleum system.”
The well was drilled to a total depth of 5,100 m and intersected multiple reservoir intervals.
The company said several shallow turbidite reservoirs with dry-gas shows were encountered, and reservoir properties from these and the acquired whole core are now being evaluated.
In the deeper section of the well, hydrocarbons were encountered in a fractured volcaniclastic reservoir.
Further analysis is ongoing to determine the extent of the system and to characterise reservoir properties and appraisal options.
What you should know
While the drilling operation confirms a working petroleum system with condensate and/or light oil, BW Energy says the well will be plugged, and abandoned in line with the planned programme.
The Kudu field is located within the oil-rich Orange Basin — a major South Atlantic sedimentary basin off the coasts of Namibia and South Africa — where there have been several exploration activities over the years.
Gas was first discovered in the Kudu field in 1974, even though some finds have remained largely undeveloped due to infrastructure and commercial constraints across the broader Basin.
Industry commentary highlights concerns about reservoir deliverability and limited public data on testing results.
Yet these discoveries have attracted more global attention in recent years, compared to the South African front where exploration efforts have been rather slow.
The Kudu license (PPL003) is operated by BW Energy, with a 95% working interest, with NAMCOR E&P, a subsidiary of the national oil company of Namibia, holding the remaining 5% carried interest.
Namibia is believed to hold as much as 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in prospective reserves and is targeting first commercial production by 2030.
However, questions have emerged over President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s increasing influence in the nascent oil sector.
Reports indicate that Nandi-Ndaitwah now oversees two key ministries — the Petroleum Ministry and the Industry, Mining and Energy Ministry — consolidating significant control over the country’s energy and resource portfolio.
