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Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Solo Oil and Aminex plc (operator) saw their Ntorya Appraisal Area in Tanzania receive a material increase in its estimate of gas initially in place (GIIP). The potential of the Ntorya Appraisal Area, which comprises approximately 750 sq km of the pairs’ Ruvuma PSA, has now been successfully tested by two gas wells; the Ntorya-1 and Ntorya-2.
Following the Ntorya-2 well Solo Oil said it now considers that the Ntorya Appraisal Area contains proven mean gross GIIP 466 Bcf, a three-fold increase over the previous estimate of 153 Bcf which was independently audited by LR Senergy in May 2015, prior to the drilling of Ntorya-2.
These new Solo contingent resource estimates cover the Ntorya Appraisal Area only, and do not include the potential of the adjoining Ruvuma PSA exploration licenses which is also being reassessed.
Neil Ritson, Solo’s Chairman commented: “The Ntorya-2 well, in conjunction with the existing well and seismic control, allow a new more confident and upgraded estimate of the gas in place and the associated contingent resources associated with the successful appraisal well. As a result Aminex is currently applying for a 25-year development license and is working directly with the Tanzanian government on means to fast-track gas production.”
The upgraded estimate follows the drilling and testing of the Ntorya-2 appraisal well earlier this year which encountered a net pay zone of 31 meters and tested gas at an average flow rate of 17 Mmcf/d through a 40/64-inch choke. The previous well, Ntorya-1, was tested at a rate of 20 Mmscf/d through a 1-inch choke. Solo believes that higher flow rates can be achieved at Ntorya-2 during future production once the drilling induced formation damage is removed.
According to the interpretation of the wireline logs, Ntorya-2 encountered the equivalent reservoir section seen in the Ntorya-1 well at a depth approximately 74 meters shallower. No formation water was produced during the tests. The fluids recovered down-dip at Ntorya-1 showed a higher condensate-gas ratio and this suggests some fractionation of fluids with depth, further suggesting an extensive gas column is present within the Ntorya gas-condensate accumulation.
Ntorya-2 also encountered traces of oil in the gross reservoir interval. Aminex is currently updating the basin model in order to optimize future drilling to maximize the intersection with the reservoir section and to target potentially liquid hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs in future wells, including Ntorya-3. Outside the Ntorya Appraisal Area LR Senergy estimated 3 Tcf of gross mean undiscovered GIIP in the Ruvuma PSA, and that remains to be further evaluated.
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