Shell Namibia Upstream BV and Qatar Energy have struck oil at the Graff-1 deepwater exploration well off the coast of Namibia.
The National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), the Namibian state-owned oil
company, announced that its partners, Shell Namibia Upstream BV and Qatar Energy had made a discovery of light oil in both primary and secondary targets.
Namcor said that the Graff-1 well had proved a working petroleum system for light oil in the Orange Basin, offshore of Namibia, 270km from the town of Oranjemund. Drilling operations commenced in early December 2021 and were safely completed in early February 2022.
Namcor said that in the coming months extensive laboratory analyses would be performed to gain a better understanding of the reservoir quality and potential flow rates that could be achieved at the well.
“Whilst we can learn a great deal from the results of Graff-1, we anticipate that further exploration activity, including a second exploration well, will be required to determine the size and recoverable potential of the identified hydrocarbons,” Namcor said.
Managing director Immanuel Mulunga added that the oil discovery could boost the country’s economy.
“We hope that this discovery puts to rest doubts about the hydrocarbon potential of Namibia and opens a new dawn in the country’s future prosperity.”
