Tullow Oil to Recommence Appraisal Drilling in Kenya’s South Lokichar Basin in Q4 2016

Tullow Oil has announced that it will be recommence drilling activities in the fourth quarter of 2016 with an initial programme of four wells in the South Lokichar basin and the potential to extend this by a further four wells in their latest trading update.

This verifies earlier reported information by OilNews Kenya in May 2016 that the South Lokichar basin could see 2-4 Potential basin-openers in late 2016 and beyond as well as 4-8 Appraisal and exploration drilling targets raising hopes of renewed activity in Kenya’s Blocks 10BB and 13T.

“In Kenya, a new programme of exploration wells focusing on growing resources is due to start in the fourth quarter,” says Tullow Oil CEO Aidan Heavey.

Tullow Oil further says it plans to carry out an extensive water injection test programme in the fourth quarter of 2016 to collect data to optimize the field development plans ahead of the an Early Oil Pilot Scheme (EOPS).

The EOPS that involves transporting oil from South Lokichar to Mombasa, utilising road or a combination of road and rail will see the company utilize existing upstream wells and oil storage tanks to initially produce approximately 2,000 bopd gross around mid-2017, subject to agreement with National and County Governments.

The final investment decision on the EOPS is expected from Tullow by August and is being assessed to provide reservoir management information to assist in full field development planning.

On the crude oil pipelines it is anticipated that for both the Kenya and Uganda pipelines, technical, environmental and social studies and tenders required to proceed to FEED will commence in the second half of 2016 with the objective of commencing FEED in 2017.