Galp has found signs of hydrocarbons at its Mopane-1X well, offshore Namibia, but with work continuing.
Galp began the drilling work on PEL 83 on November 17. There are “preliminary signs”, it said, of hydrocarbons.
However, drilling and data acquisition is still under way. As such, the company said, any conclusion is premature.
Galp has an 80% stake in the licence and is the operator. State-owned Namcor and Custos Energy each have 10%. The latter is chaired by local businessman Knowledge Katti.
Galp contracted the Hercules harsh environment semi-submersible rig in May 2023. The $50 million drilling contract covers two wells, plus well testing. The total amount of time was 115 days, which included mobilisation.
Success at Mopane would represent a step forward for Namibia’s Orange Basin. Shell and TotalEnergies have made a number of successes in their licences, with the French company recently opting to extend its contracted drillship.
Woodside has an option to acquire a stake in nearby PEL 87, based on results of a seismic campaign that concluded in May.
Meanwhile, Chevron plans to begin drilling in PEL 90 in the last quarter of 2024. Rhino Resources, owner of PEL 85, also plans to begin drilling around the same time.
BW Energy will also be watching closely, for impact on its Kudu area. The company recently completed seismic on its area and is also planning an exploration well.