ReconAfrica says it has penetrated a roughly 400-metre gross hydrocarbon-bearing interval in the Otavi carbonate section at its Kavango West 1X well, drilled to a total depth of 4,200 metres and completed on 29 November.
According to the company, wireline logs indicate about 85 metres of net reservoir, including 64 metres of verified hydrocarbon pay supported by mud-log anomalies.
A further 61 metres of oil and gas shows were encountered in deeper, naturally fractured limestone units, which ReconAfrica believes could enhance deliverability when the well is tested.
The company has now moved the well into what it calls a “success-case evaluation,” with production testing expected in the first quarter of 2026.
The well has been temporarily abandoned pending mobilisation of testing equipment and will be re-entered once the programme begins.
ReconAfrica completed drilling at Kavango West 1X—situated on Petroleum Exploration Licence 73 in onshore Namibia—on schedule and on budget, reaching total depth on 29 November after an extensive wireline logging programme.
Mud and gas samples collected throughout the well are being shipped to the United States for laboratory analysis. No core samples were taken.
The testing campaign, which will run in a 5-inch production casing using Tubing-Conveyed Perforations (TCP), aims to establish flow rates from intervals of interest across the Otavi carbonate section.
ReconAfrica plans to selectively perforate the 64 metres of hydrocarbon pay identified on logs, along with the additional 61 metres of deeper oil and gas shows associated with natural fractures, which are expected to aid hydrocarbon mobility.
The test is anticipated to run for about one month.
ReconAfrica President and CEO Brian Reinsborough said the results mark a critical moment for the company’s Damara Fold Belt play.
“We are excited about what the results mean for the future of the Damara Fold Belt play on ReconAfrica’s lease position onshore Namibia, which covers over six million prospective acres,” he said, adding that the well was drilled safely with strong local engagement.
ReconAfrica operates PEL 73 with a 70% working interest. Its partners are BW Energy (20%) and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) (10%), with a carried interest.
