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Galp Energia SGPS SA GLPEY, a Portuguese oil and gas firm, has announced another successful discovery of oil and gas in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia. The company has encountered oil while drilling the Mopane 3X well in the Petroleum Exploration License 83 (PEL 83) area. The well was drilled as part of the second exploration and appraisal campaign targeted at blocks 2813A and 2814B. Galp is the operator of PEL 83, holding an 80% stake, and NAMCOR and Custos Energy have a 10% stake each.
Details of Mopane 3X Well
Galp mentioned that the Mopane 3X well targeted two stacked prospects, namely AVO-10 and AVO-13.Additionally, the exploration efforts targeted deeper sand toward the southeast of the Mopane complex. The water depth at the site was 1,200 meters. The Mopane 3X well was drilled approximately 18 kilometers away from the Mopane 1X well. GLPEY and its partners mentioned that the well has been drilled, cored and logged.
Preliminary Data on Reservoir Quality
According to the preliminary data, the company noted the presence of light oil and gas condensate in significant columns in the AVO-10 prospect. In the AVO-13 prospect and the deeper sand, light oil was confirmed in sandstones of high quality.
Furthermore, the reservoir log measures indicated high porosity, with high pressures and permeability. This suggests that the flow of oil and gas within the rock formation is strong and should help make the production efficient. The preliminary fluid samples were sent for testing to determine the quality and composition of the hydrocarbons, which yielded satisfactory results. The company stated that the oil had low viscosity along with minimal concentration of CO2 and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
The preliminary results yielded in this exploration campaign, with greater-than-expected reservoir pressure, demonstrate strong potential in the region’s oil and gas resources. Further, these results expand the scope for exploration and appraisal opportunities in the southeastern region of the Mopane complex.The Mopane prospect is gaining momentum as an emerging oil and gas hub, with several discoveries made by global energy firms like TotalEnergies, Chevron, Shell and Woodside Energy.
Future Exploration Potential
The data acquired during the process will be used by Galp to update the reservoir model, helping in the assessment of the reservoir’s properties and supporting future drilling activities.
Galp also mentioned that a proprietary 3D development seismic acquisition campaign will be conducted that should help it attain high-resolution images of the rock formations in the Mopane complex. The seismic survey is expected to be concluded by the first quarter of 2025. Following this, the information gathered from this survey will be processed to gain further insights.