Mopane oil find offshore Namibia could be a supergiant

April 22, 2024

Galp Energia estimates in-place hydrocarbons from its Mopane discovery in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia at 10 Bboe or higher.

As of late 2023, the Hercules semisub had spud the Mopane 2X exploration well in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia for operator Galp Energia. The location is in the southern part of PEL 83. According to partner Custos, it was the first of two wells to be drilled by Hercules under a contract that includes an option for testing.

Offshore staff

LISBON, Portugal — Galp Energia estimates in-place hydrocarbons from its Mopane discovery in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia at 10 Bboe or higher. If confirmed, this would make Mopane one of the world’s largest offshore finds.

The company, in partnership with Custos and state-owned NAMCOR, has completed Phase 1 of the Mopane exploration drilling campaign with the conclusion of the Mopane-1X well testing program.

The Mopane-1X well, discovered in January, encountered significant light oil columns in good-quality reservoir sands at two different levels: AVO-1 and AVO-2. 

In March, the same rig drilled Mopane-2X, which intersected further light oil columns across the exploration and appraisal targets AVO-3, AVO-1 and in a deeper-lying target.

Mopane-2X also showed that AVO-1 was in the same pressure regime as in Mopane-1X 8 km to the east, confirming a lateral extension.

Reservoir logs confirmed good porosities as well as high pressures and permeabilities in large hydrocarbon columns. Fluid samples exhibit very low oil viscosity and contain only small CO₂ and no H₂S concentrations.

The well test flows reached the maximum allowed limits of 14,000 boe/d. Galp added that its 10 Bboe estimate for the Mopane complex alone does not include potential volumes from future exploration and appraisal wells.

The company plans to analyze and collate all data acquired from drilling to date into an updated reservoir model, which it will use to refine its plan for further exploration, appraisal and development of the wider Mopane complex.

The surrounding PEL 83 is north of PEL 39, which contains Shell’s basin-opening discoveries Graff-1, La Rona-1 and Jonker-1, said Custos’ part-owner Sintana Energy, and north and east of the TotalEnergies-operated PEL 56, the setting for the Venus-1 oil discovery.

Galp has an 80% stake in PEL 83, which covers almost 10,000 sq km in the Orange Basin, with Namibia's national oil company NAMCOR (10%) and independent exploration group Custos (10%).

According to a recent Reuters report, Galp is seeking to sell a 40% stake in the block.

The report stated, "Portuguese oil company Galp Energia has launched the sale of half of its stake in an exploration block offshore Namibia where it has made a major oil discovery, three industry sources familiar with the matter told Reuters."

04.22.2024