Exploration drilling is underway on a much-anticipated onshore oil and gas play in Zimbabwe in southern Africa.
The operator Invictus Energy said Sunday that drilling started in Block SG 4571 on 24 September at the first of two potentially play-opening exploration wells.
Two prospects underway starting with the giant Mukuyu prospect.
Invictus said it planned to drill Mukuyu-1 to a projected depth of 3 500 metres, with the drilling and evaluation work expected to take between 50 and 60 days to complete.
Managing Director Scott Macmillan said the commencement of drilling was an “exciting and long-anticipated” moment for Invictus Energy and its shareholders. He said:
Invictus, together with our partners, have methodically de-risked and matured the Mukuyu prospect and our Cabora Bassa acreage over the last several years, and the commencement of our drilling campaign is a significant milestone.
Mukuyu-1 is a world-class, basin-opening well which, if successful, could be transformative for the company and Zimbabwe.
According to the company, Mukuyu is one of the largest oil and gas exploration prospects to be drilled globally this year, targeting a combined prospective resource potential of 20 trillion cubic feet and 845 million barrels of conventional gas condensate.
After completing Mukuyu-1, Invictus then plans to drill the Baobab-1 well which will take around 30 to 40 days to complete.