Reconnaissance Energy Africa has spudded the Naingopo well in the PEL 73 in the Kavango Basin.
The company announced early this year that they were targeting June for spudding the well in the Damara Fold Play.
Last week, ReconAfrica announced that all teams had moved into the area and were ready to spud the well.
ReconAfrica CEO Brian Reinsborough said the operations teams spudded the well on July 7, 2024.
Reinsborough said they have been planning over the past 11 months since he joined ReconAfrica.
“The Naingopo well represents the first well in a multi-well exploration drilling campaign on PEL 73.
“The well is anticipated to reach a total depth of 3,800 metres (12,500 feet), and take 90 days to drill,” he said.
Reinsboruough added that the Naingopo well is a significant play-opening well which may unlock a total potential resource of over 3.1 billion barrels of oil or 18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
This is based on the March 12, 2024, prospective resource report that Netherland, Sewell & Associates Inc. prepared.
ReconAfrica senior vice president of exploration Chris Sembritzky said the Naingopo exploration well is the first well to test the Damara Fold Belt play.
Sembritzky said that, in the event of success, the well would unlock significant oil and natural gas potential from our additional three prospects and 20 leads, which have been mapped and defined.
“The Naingopo well is expected to test multiple reservoir intervals, of which four are included in our third party resource report from NSAI,” he said.
ReconAfrica expects to encounter multiple reservoir intervals targeting oil and natural gas.