Tullow Oil Expresses Optimism Despite Disappointment at Cheptuket

Tullow Oil has said despite the Cheptuket well discovering oil it was pleasing that the company established a petroleum system in the unexplored Kerio basin the first by the company outside the South Lokichar basin.

According to Tullow’s CEO Aidan Heavey in the company update the exploration company identified 700 meters of oil shows in cuttings and rotary sidewall cores.

Cheptuket-1 well the first well to test the Kerio Valley Basin reached a final depth of 3,083 metres by the PR Marriott Rig-46.

“This is the most significant well result to date in Kenya outside the South Lokichar basin. Encountering strong oil shows across such a large interval is very encouraging indeed,” Aidan said in a statement

Post-well analysis is in progress ahead of defining the future exploration programme in the basin.

“I am delighted by this wildcat well result and the team is already working on our follow-up exploration plans for the Kerio Valley Basin, ”He added.

“We are pleased with the encouraging results of the first well in the Kerio Valley basin. We will be working closely with our Joint Venture partners and the Kenyan government to define the follow-up exploration plans,” David Ginger, Executive Director – Exploration and Subsurface at Delonex Energy, commented,

And in a response to OilNews Kenya article last week that had already reported of the lack of a discovery citing an anonymous source the company through its head of communication George Cazenove pointed out an error in reporting by our website terming the result encouraging.

“While you have correctly stated on twitter that this well result cannot be classified as a discovery, this is nonetheless a very significant result. To drill through 700m of oil bearing rock is very encouraging as it shows that there is a substantial petroleum system in place. Cheptuket is, therefore, by far, the best result we have had outside the South Lokichar basin,” he said in an email to our newsroom.

Today’s announcement despite encouraging to the operator however leaves contractors and employed locals in the block hopeful that despite the lack of indications of further activity by the update drilling of other prospects planned will commence soon.

Tullow Oil  has this year indicated that it will concentrate on seismic and pre-development having further slashed its budget to just $100 million and $150 million respectively.

Tullow operates Block 12A with 40% equity and is partnered by Delonex Energy with 40% and Africa Oil Corporation with 20%.