Mozambique Gives Greenlight For Tembo-1 Gas Discovery Appraisal

Wentworth Resources has reported that the Ministerio dos Reuros Minerais e Energia (Minister of Minerals & Energy) in Mozambique has granted an Appraisal Plan for the Tembo-1 gas discovery in the Onshore Rovuma Concession exploration license.

Under the two-year appraisal period, Wentworth becomes the Operator of the Rovuma Onshore Concession (“Concession”) and increases its participation interest in the Concession from 11.59% to 85% while State owned Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (“ENH”) retains a 15% participation interest as a carried partner through to the commencement of commercial operations.

All concession partners other than Wentworth and state owned ENH relinquished their participation interest in the Rovuma Onshore Block following the expiry of the license on August 31,2015.

“With all the data gained to date through our exploration drilling and seismic interpretation, we believe this area of onshore Mozambique to be highly prospective and although we expect minimal capital spend this year, I am looking forward to working with ENH as we progress this acreage position toward appraisal drilling in the future,” says Wentworth Resources Executive Chairman Bob McBean.

Implementation of a work program will commence in 2016 with the reprocessing of approximately 1,000 km of existing seismic data, the cost of which will be funded from internally generated cash flow.

Commencing the second half 2017, Wentworth says it plans to acquire a minimum of 500 km of new onshore 2D seismic data with the drilling of an appraisal well anticipated to occur in 2018 after the identification of a suitable drilling location based on the evaluation and integration of the new and existing seismic data.

The Tembo-1 well was drilled to a total depth of 4,553 metres into rocks of Upper Jurassic age. Natural gas and some condensate was recovered by modular formation dynamics testing (“MDT”) confirming the petro physical analysis of 11 meters of pay in sands of Cretaceous age.

Wentworth terms Tembo-1 as a milestone well for the Rovuma basin adding that an extensive amount of pertinent geologic data was collected which will have a significant impact on future exploration efforts in the basin.

“Further analysis of the geologic and petro physical data has led to the identification of additional zones of potential bypassed pay. These zones and the tested gas bearing sands will be subject to further evaluation with additional seismic and drilling,” adds the company in the statement.

The agreed appraisal area, located around the Tembo-1 discovery onshore, measures approximately 2,500 km2 providing the necessary running room to develop this potentially world class play fairway.