BW Energy said on Wednesday it had confirmed the presence of liquid hydrocarbons in an appraisal well drilled in the Kudu licence offshore Namibia, marking the first such discovery within the block.
The Kharas-1 well was drilled to a depth of 5,100 metres and encountered several shallow turbidite intervals with dry-gas shows, the company said. Reservoir samples and whole-core data from those sections are being analysed.
In deeper sections, BW Energy identified hydrocarbons in a fractured volcaniclastic reservoir, indicating what it described as a working petroleum system containing condensate or light oil. Further studies are underway to assess reservoir quality, size and possible follow-up targets.
“Kharas-1 achieved its technical objective of testing multiple targets within a single penetration and delivered valuable geological, geochemical and petrophysical data,” CEO Carl Arnet said. “The results confirm, for the first time, the presence of liquid hydrocarbons within the Kudu block and will guide our forward appraisal programme.”
The well will be plugged and abandoned as planned. BW Energy said future exploration would focus on higher-value targets indicated by the presence of liquids as well as gas, drawing on the findings from Kharas-1.
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