Harare – Buoyed by positive initial findings, Invictus Energy, which is exploring for oil and gas in Muzarabani in the Zambezi Valley, has elected to deepen the Mukuyu-1 well to test its further potential after reaching targeted depth of at least 3.5 kilometers last week, with test results expected afterwards.
In an update on Friday, Invictus managing director Scott Macmillan said the Exalo Rig 202 was preparing to drill further down to 3.8 kilometres, to test the deeper potential of the remaining Upper Angwa and Lower Angwa formations while awaiting the arrival of the wireline formation testing tool.
“Preliminary logging analysis from this early stage of the wireline programme in the current 8½ hole section has been encouraging, indicating multiple potential gas bearing zones. However, the presence of moveable hydrocarbons will be determined following the wireline formation testing programme, which will be run following the arrival of the wireline formation testing tool at the wellsite,” he said.
“In the interim we have elected to drill ahead to test the deeper potential of the remaining Upper Angwa and Lower Angwa formations which will also provide us with valuable geological and geophysical information for future wells in the basin. We anticipate the remaining activities will require a further 5 -7 days to complete following which final well results will be provided.”
Anticipation is high that Invictus will announce a commercial discovery of either or both oil and gas after initial tests indicated the presence of a working hydrocarbon system in the well.
Soon after drilling Mukuyu 1, a second well, the Baobab, will be sunk down to 1.5 km, with both exercises set to give a better idea of the full extent of the reserves in the Muzarabani prospect following the collection of more than 800 km of seismic data in 2021.
Initial exploration work has been promising, and points to a significant resource, setting Zimbabwe on course to becoming an oil and gas producing nation.
In 2020, the Zimbabwe government classified the Muzarabani project as one of the priority development projects which can provide a significant economic benefit to the economy in pursuit of an upper middle-income economy by 2030. – New Ziana
