Reconnaissance Energy Africa starts drilling Kavango West 1X exploration well in Namibia

Canadian oil and gas explorer Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) has announced the spudding of the onshore Kavango West 1X exploration well located within Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 73 in northeast Namibia.

According to ReconAfrica’s statement on July 31, the Kavango West 1X well is planned to reach a total depth of about 3,800 metres by the end of November 2025 and is expected to penetrate over 1,500 metres of Otavi carbonate reservoir section, which is the primary target of the Damara Fold Belt play.

The Kavango West 1X exploration well is the second well to target the vast Damara Fold Belt play. The prospect is a major subsurface fold structure outlined by recent 2D seismic surveys, stretching roughly 22km in length and three kilometres in width.

ReconAfrica has identified more than 19 prospects and leads across the Damara Fold Belt. In addition, the company has secured a further 5.0mn acres (20,234km².) through a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering adjacent territory in Angola.

“Originally, the Kavango West 1X location was not scheduled to be the next well, but the location was reprioritised after the results of our last well, Naingopo,” Reconnaissance Energy Africa’s president and CEO Brian Reinsborough said.

“While this reprioritising resulted in a slightly longer lead time to spud this location, the company prioritises rigorous technical appraisal with respect to location selection to ensure we have the best possible chance for commercial success,” he added.

According to Reinsborough, the Kavango West 1X prospect represents ReconAfrica’s best opportunity in the Damara Fold Belt to unlock the potential of this play, with results expected to be reported before year-end 2025.

ReconAfrica’s senior vice president for exploration Chris Sembritzky noted that, based on the lessons learned from the Naingopo well, Kavango West 1X was the most promising prospect identified on seismic in the Damara Fold Belt play, owing to its size, hydrocarbon migration pathway and well-defined four-way closure.

“With our new subsurface learnings, highly experienced drilling crew and optimised, built for purpose drill bits, we believe that we have captured the best possible chance for drilling an efficient, safe and commercially successful well,” Sembritzky said.

ReconAfrica also reported that the previously announced 3D seismic programme that had been scheduled for the second half of 2025 was moved to the 2026 operating programme owing to ongoing drilling activities.

The company said it was continually reviewing potential investment opportunities, which could include acquiring additional acreage for exploration, development and producing properties, as well as entering joint venture deals aimed at accelerating production and free cash flow, especially given its concentrated asset risk profile.

ReconAfrica is engaged in the exploration of the Damara Fold Belt and Kavango Rift Basin in the Kalahari Desert of northeastern Namibia, southeastern Angola and northwestern Botswana. According to the statement, it holds petroleum licences comprising 13mn contiguous acres (52,609 km²).

The explorer has a primary listing on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) in Canada, with secondary listings on OTCQX in the US and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE) in Germany. As of November 5, 2024, ReconAfrica is also listed in Namibia, making it the first publicly traded oil and gas exploration company on the NSX.