ReconAfrica, which is looking for oil in the Kavango area, has produced natural gas to the surface from the Kavango West 1X discovery well.
According to the Prospect Magazine, it marks the first hydrocarbons ever produced onshore in the country, representing a technical achievement in the Kavango Basin’s long-running quest to demonstrate commercial viability.
The company indicated that testing on the uppermost zone of the Elandshoek formation, part of a six-zone campaign launched June 8, produced gas and liquids on three separate flow tests over 24 hours of open time, with tubing pressure reaching 2,300 PSI.
However, equipment limitations prevented accurate flow rate measurement, but the pressure build-up between tests confirmed hydrocarbon deliverability.
Samples have been collected and shipped to U.S. laboratories for compositional analysis, with results expected in the coming weeks.
ReconAfrica holds 13 million acres across Namibia, Angola and Botswana alongside partners BW Energy and state company NAMCOR.
The company is now moving testing equipment uphole to assess three zones in the shallower Huttenberg formation, which logs show contain 76 net m of hydrocarbon pay across 182 m of reservoir section. Results are expected by late August.
