Emesek-1 exploration well in Kenya’s North Turkana basin Disappoints

The Emesek-1 exploration well also known as the Tausi prospect located in the North Turkana basin in Block 13T failed to encounter any oil and will be plugged and abandoned.

The Emesek-1 well which was also the North Turkana basin opener spud in mid-October drilled to a depth of 3000 meters did not encounter commercial hydrocarbons according to the joint venture partners in the Block Tullow Oil (operator), Africa Oil and Maersk Oil.

“The Emesek-1 well was the first well to be drilled in the North Lokichar basin. While this wildcat well did not find commercial hydrocarbons, it provides valuable data as we assess the wider prospectivity of this basin,” commented Angus Mccoss, Exploration Director, Tullow Oil Plc.

The North Turkana basin is immediately north of the South Lokichar producing trend and has a younger ‘fill’ than South Lokichar but also expected to share same Miocene sequence.

Following completion of operations, the rig will move to the South Lokichar basin to drill the Etom-2 well in an undrilled fault block adjacent to the Etom oil discovery.

The Etom-1 well in Block 13T is the most northerly well drilled to date in the South Lokichar basin, 6.5 km north of the previous Agete-1 discovery. The well encountered approximately 10 metres of net oil pay, extending the proven oil basin significantly northwards.

The Weatherford 804 rig drilled the Etom-1 well to a final depth of 2,000 metres.

“We are quite pleased with the Etom discovery which extends the proven petroleum system to the northern portion of the Lokichar basin and derisks several large prospects in that area,” Africa Oil CEO Keith Hill said in August 2014.

The Marriot 46 drilling rig will then move to drill the Cheptuket-1 exploration well in Block 12A and will test a basin bounding structural closure in the undrilled Kerio Valley Basin, in a similar structural setting to the successful Ngamia and Amosing discoveries.