Niël Terblanché
The National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR), in collaboration with its joint venture partners, has confirmed the discovery of light crude oil at the Capricornus 1-X exploration well, located offshore in Block 2914 within the Orange Basin.
The operator of Petroleum Exploration Licence 85 (PEL 85), Rhino Resources, announced the conclusion of a drilling campaign conducted with the Noble Venturer drillship.
The well, which was spudded on 17 February and reached total depth on 2 April, encountered 38 metres of net hydrocarbon pay within its primary Lower Cretaceous target.
Notably, no water contact was observed in the reservoir, which was described as having favourable petrophysical properties.
Rhino Resources Chief Executive Officer, Travis Smithard, stated that the wireline and drill stem testing programmes confirmed the presence of a high-quality light-oil bearing reservoir.
“Rhino, on behalf of the PEL85 JV, are delighted to announce the discovery of hydrocarbons at the Capricornus 1-X well. The results have proven the existence of a high-quality light-oil bearing reservoir, with no observed water contact,” he said.
He credited the safe and successful execution of the drilling campaign to both Rhino’s team and its service partners.
The production test conducted across the reservoir interval yielded a surface-constrained flow rate exceeding 11 000 stock tank barrels per day on a 40/64” choke.
According to Smithard, the oil is estimated to have an API gravity of approximately 37°, with minimal associated gas, low carbon dioxide content, and no presence of hydrogen sulphide.
He said that wireline logging operations also retrieved sidewall cores and hydrocarbon samples, which will now be subjected to further laboratory analysis.
The well has since been temporarily plugged and abandoned, and the drillship demobilised.
According to Smithard, post-drilling evaluations are set to guide the joint venture’s next steps in the broader exploration strategy for the block.
PEL 85 is operated by Rhino Resources with a 42.5% stake. Co-venturers include Azule Energy (42.5%), NAMCOR (10%), and Korres Investments (5%). Azule Energy is a joint venture equally owned by BP and Eni.
NAMCOR reiterated its commitment to developing Namibia’s hydrocarbon potential in a manner that advances the country’s strategic energy ambitions.
The state-owned enterprise stated that it will continue to pursue technical excellence and foster partnerships to establish Namibia as a reliable participant in the global energy market.
