Portuguese oil and gas company Galp has found light oil and gas condensate in the fifth well within its second exploration and appraisal program in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia.
The campaign was done on blocks 2813A and 2814B , governed by Petroleum Exploration License 83 (PEL 83) partners, comprising Galp Energia as the operator (80%) and Custos Energy and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) with 10% stakes each.
The exploration license is situated close to multiple other prospects and oil and gas discoveries made by global energy players such as TotalEnergies, Chevron, Shell, and Woodside in what Custos Energy says is emerging as one of the world’s most prospective oil and gas regions.
As stated by Galp, the Mopane-3X well (Well #5) in PEL83, which was spudded on January 2, 2025, has been drilled, cored, and logged. Two stacked prospects, AVO-10 and AVO-13, were targeted, and a deeper sand, in the southeast region of the Mopane complex, at a water depth of around 1,200 meters.
The Portuguese player confirmed that preliminary data indicate the presence of light oil and gas-condensate significant columns across AVO-10, and light oil columns on AVO-13 and the deeper sand, in high-quality sandstones.
Furthermore, the reservoir log measures are said to confirm good porosities, high pressures, and high permeabilities. Samples were sent for lab testing, with initial fluid samples showing low oil viscosity and minimum CO2 and H2S concentrations.
“These additional discoveries in an entirely new section of Mopane further demonstrate the scale and quality of the complex. An emerging clarity on the multi-phase potential of Mopane is underpinned by this world class asset,” said Knowledge Katti , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Custos. “We congratulate our Joint Venture partners on another safe and successful outing. We are uniquely positioned at the heart of this hydrocarbon province.”
Since the pressures and preliminary results at the well are higher than estimated, Galp believes this will unlock further exploration and appraisal opportunities in the southeast region of Mopane.
The collected data will now be integrated into the reservoir model to support the planning of potential further activities. The proprietary 3D development seismic acquisition campaign is expected to be completed in Q1 2025, with processing of the information acquired to follow.
Mopane 3-X is located 18 kilometers from the Mopane-1X exploration well (well #1), which was spudded in November 2023. Mopane-2X (well #2) was drilled in March 2024, followed by the Mopane 1-A appraisal well (well #3) in late October 2024 and Mopane 2-A (well #4) in December.
In late December 2024, PEL 83 partners disclosed that Saipem’s Santorini drillship was getting ready to move to the Mopane-3X well as part of the ongoing campaign.