AfrOil: TotalEnergies gearing up for drilling programme offshore Namibia

TotalEnergies (France) is preparing to launch a multi-well deepwater drilling programme offshore Namibia to determine the extent of its Venus discovery in the Orange basin.

According to a statement from Impact Oil & Gas (UK), a non-operating partner in the project, TotalEnergies will sink up to four wells at Block 2913B and Block 2912. The first of these will be Venus-1A, the first appraisal well drilled at Block 2913B.

Once the company wraps up drill stem testing at Venus-1A, it will re-enter Venus-1X, where it made its initial discovery of light crude oil and gas condensate. At that second site, it will drill a side-track and conduct another round of drill stem testing “to further evaluate the Venus reservoir,” Impact said.

The third target of the programme will be the Nara-1X exploration well at Block 2912, adjacent to Block 2913B. If hydrocarbons are found at Nara-1X, TotalEnergies will move forward with drilling and flow testing work on the Nara-1A appraisal well at Block 2912.