Tullow to start study on commercial development of wells after fresh oil finds

An oil rig at Ngamia 1 in Turkana County. Tullow has announced fresh oil discoveries of net oil pay of between 160 and 200 metres in Amosing-1 and 20-80 metres in Ewoi-1, both located in Block 10BB. Photo/FILE 

By George Omondi

Posted  Wednesday, January 15  2014 at  12:34

In Summary

• In a statement uploaded on its website Wednesday, the firm implicitly announced that discoveries to date were commercially viable, adding that together with Africa Oil, it had already commenced a pre-feed study of an export pipeline.
• The firm announced fresh oil discoveries of net oil pay of between 160 and 200 metres in Amosing-1 and 20-80 metres in Ewoi-1, both located in Block 10BB.
• The firm puts the reserves discovered so far at more than 600 million barrels of oil (mmbo), adding that the basin has a potential is in excess of one billion barrels of oil. 

British multinational, Tullow, has received Kenyan government's nod to start studies on the commercial development of its wells after making fresh oil discoveries in northern part of the country.

In a statement uploaded on its website Wednesday, the firm implicitly announced that discoveries to date were commercially viable, adding that together with Africa Oil, it had already commenced a pre-feed study of an export pipeline.

“Given the significant volumes discovered and the extensive exploration and appraisal programme, Tullow and partners have agreed with the Government of Kenya to commence development studies,” the firm said in a statement.

“The current ambition of the Government of Kenya and the joint venture partnership is to reach project sanction for development, including an export pipeline, in the period 2015/2016.”

The firm announced fresh oil discoveries of net oil pay of between 160 and 200 metres in Amosing-1 and 20-80 metres in Ewoi-1, both located in Block 10BB.

Buoyed by a series of successes that include past discoveries at Ekales-1, Agete-1, Ngamia-1 and Twiga-1, Tullow has promptly upgraded its appraisal of resources in Turkana basin.

READ: Fresh oil finds raise Kenya’s hopes of commercial drilling

The oil explorer puts the reserves discovered so far at more than 600 million barrels of oil (mmbo), adding that the basin has a potential is in excess of one billion barrels of oil. 

“Exploration results to date from the first basin, amongst a chain of basins, have proven that Tullow's onshore acreage in northern Kenya has the potential to become a significant new hydrocarbon province,” the firms exploration director Angus McCoss, said Wednesday.

The firm said it has since suspended operations at Amosing-1 and Ewoi-1 pending future flow testing to confirm the net pay counts. Its rigs now move to drill the Emong-1 well, adjacent to the Ngamia field, and the Twiga South-2 appraisal well, both in Block 13T.

Tullow estimates that its elaborate drilling plan that covers over 20 wells across over the next 24 months should add another 400 mmbo to what has been discovered to date.