Lisbon-based Galp Energia, which owns 80% of two oil exploration licenses (PELs) offshore Namibia, is getting ready to drill the first of two exploration wells later this year, the company said in a report on the second quarter results.
"We secured the drilling rig and awarded the integrated oil services contract," said Galp’s chief financial officer, Maria Joao Carioca.
According to the report, in preparation for the upcoming Namibian PEL 83 exploration drilling campaign, Galp has secured key contracts to drill two wells with optional testing, with the first well planned for the fourth quarter of 2023.
"An Integrated Well Services contract was signed covering logistics, well engineering, design, drilling, logging and drill-stem testing, while a semi-submersible rig was contracted," read the report.
The field exploration will take place in the Orange basin, which is expected to have "large and high-quality" oil reserves. Galp has an 80% share in PEL 83 in the Orange basin, while a 10% stake is owned by NamCor, Namibia's national oil corporation.
In 2012, Galp Energia signed a farm-in agreement with the Namibian government in oil exploration licenses located in the country's offshore. As part of the 2013 exploration campaign, three wells were drilled, but none of them resulted in a commercial discovery.
In 2016, Galp secured exploration licenses in PEL 82 and PEL 83. The concessions, which cover a total area of approximately 20,000 km2, are located in the areas where the presence of hydrocarbons has already been proven. In 2019, the consortium successfully completed a 3D seismic acquisition campaign in PEL 83.