ReconAfrica Commences Drilling of 1,000-Meter Horizontal Section in KW1X Well, Namibia

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 19, Canadian oil and gas exploration company ReconAfrica announced that it has obtained all regulatory approvals required for horizontal drilling and flow testing of the Kavango West 1X well (KW1X) in Namibia, and has officially commenced sidetrack operations. The operation targets drilling a horizontal section of up to 1,000 meters in the upper Huttenberg Formation, with drilling expected to be completed in approximately one month, followed by open-hole horizontal well flow testing.

The approved documents include an environmental clearance certificate and a revised horizontal drilling permit. The original well's production casing has been removed to a vertical depth of 2,289 meters, and an open-hole whipstock has been installed. The sidetrack will extend along the natural fracture system in the Kavango structure, designed with an open-hole completion method without casing or cementing.

After drilling is completed, the operations team will swab the well to remove drilling fluid and cuttings, and initiate flow testing prior to acid washing. The test will measure sustained flow rates, reservoir pressure response, and liquid production rates and composition of the produced fluids, while also collecting gas and liquid samples for laboratory analysis. The test period is expected to last up to approximately one month, and ReconAfrica plans to announce the test results before the end of 2026.

The KW1X well previously completed a vertical well production test. Both the upper Huttenberg Formation and the upper Elands Hook Formation achieved hydrocarbon flow to surface, and downhole sample analysis identified thermogenic gas with liquid hydrocarbon potential. Previous logging data identified a 75-meter effective hydrocarbon-bearing interval in the Huttenberg Formation, which was selected as the target interval for this horizontal drilling and productivity test.

The KW1X well is located within Petroleum Exploration Licence No. 73 in Namibia. ReconAfrica holds a 70% working interest and serves as operator, BW Energy holds 20%, and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) holds a 10% carried interest.