The oil exploration site in Pate Island, Lamu County. PHOTO | NMG
Summary
- Drilling had failed to take off last June due to technical and financial issues.
- The project is being undertaken by UAE company Zarara Oil and Gas Limited
- In 1971, Shell oil company had drilled a well, Pate 1, which discovered the presence of gas but the well was plugged and abandoned.
The exploration drilling for oil and gas in Lamu’s Pate Island is finally ready to take off, 10 months behind schedule.
The drilling, which was scheduled to take place in June last year, was delayed due to technical and financial issues.
On Sunday, all the necessary equipment for the drilling work arrived at the project site in Pate.
The long-awaited equipment had initially been assembled in Mombasa upon importation but was ferried to Pate over the weekend.
The project is being undertaken by a United Arab Emirates' (UAE)
company Zarara Oil and Gas Limited and the first phase of drilling is
expected to cost Sh2.5 trillion.
The company intends to
drill one well, Pate 2, this week and if successful, proceed with a
second well Pate 3 to ascertain if the gas discovery is of commercial
quantity.
So far, the company has spent about Sh1 billion on seismic surveys alone.
In
2013, Zarara Oil and Gas Limited conducted geophysical surveys over a
400km stretch of blocks L4 in Pate island of Lamu East.
Abandoned
In
1971, Shell oil company had drilled a well, Pate 1, which discovered
the presence of gas but the well was plugged and abandoned.
But
addressing the public during the spudding (initial drilling) ceremony
in Pate and to officially receive the equipment, Zarara's country
manager Peter Nduru said all plans had been finalised and drilling would
start any time this week.
Mr Nduru said construction of the drilling site is already complete and ready to take the rig.
“In
the past two years, Zarara has been preparing to drill one and possibly
two wells here at Pate. We have therefore invited you here today to
witness the beginning of the drilling operations of Pate 2 well, which
will possibly extend to Pate 3 well.
With the
equipment on site, Mr Nduru said they will be drilling up to a depth of
300 metres, as they wait for a bigger rig that will extend the drilling
to 4,500 metres.
“The drilling of Pate 2 well will
take about 80 days. If Pate 2 is successful, the rig will proceed to
drill Pate 3, directional to the same depth.
"This
phase of the drilling work is scheduled to proceed up to February 2019,
by which time the results of the exploration drilling will become
clear,” said Mr Nduru.
Inclusive society
Lamu
Woman Rep Ruweida Obbo, who also attended the event, urged the investor
to ensure women and the disabled persons are considered for employment
in the project.
“We are encouraging all investors
seeking to start projects in Lamu to consider women and the disabled
because at the end of the day, we are seeking to have an all-inclusive
society,” said Mrs Obbo.
If successful, the project
will join some of the county's big economic initiatives, including the
Sh2.5 trillion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset)
project, the Sh200 billion Coal-Fired Power Plant and the Sh21 billion
Lamu Wind Power Plant.
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