Epic quest for oil in Uganda

January 13, Tullow Oil announced that the Giraffe-1 exploration well, which is located in the Butiaba region of Uganda Block 1, had encountered oil. “These results demonstrate Giraffe to be a down-dip extension of the Buffalo discovery, making this the largest discovery in the Lake Albert Rift Basin to-date,” the firm said.

Giraffe-1 was the sixth successful test of the Victoria Nile delta play fairway within the Lake Albert Rift Basin.

“Buffalo-Giraffe is one of the largest recent onshore oil discoveries in Africa. Combined with our other finds in the region, we have now clearly exceeded the thresholds for basin development. Options for commercialisation and first oil production are currently being fast-tracked,” the company’s chief executive officer, Mr Aidan Heavey, said.

In remarkable events in Uganda’s emerging oil industry, Heritage Oil’s interests in the Albertine grabben were bought by the Italian oil giant Eni.

Oil discoveries
Tullow Oil on September 17, announced that the Ngassa-2 exploration well, which is located in the Kaiso-Tonya region of Block 2, had encountered oil.

The company said reservoir quality is excellent and the oil is of a similar quality to that encountered in the Mputa and Kingfisher discoveries.

On August 4, Tullow Oil announced that the Ngara-1 exploration well, which is located in the Butiaba region of Uganda Block 2, had oil.

The firm said in a statement on its website that the well was drilled to a total depth of 741 metres and good quality basal sands were encountered with over eight metres of net oil pay in a 17 metre gross reservoir interval with additional potential up-dip.

On June 16, the company announced that the Kigogole-3 exploration well, which is located in the Butiaba region of Uganda Block 2, had encountered oil in two separate zones.

The well was drilled to a total depth of 575 metres and Excellent Kasamene-type reservoir sands were encountered in the lower zone with over 15 metres of net oil pay.
A separate five metre total net reservoir section above the 15 metre main reservoir interval, thin-bedded oil bearing sands were also encountered.

On May 27, Tullow Oil announced that the Awaka-1 exploration well, which is located in the Butiaba region of Uganda Block 2, has encountered water bearing reservoir sands.

The well was drilled to a total depth of 700 metres and encountered over 96 metres of net reservoir overlain by a thick sealing claystone.
The company was disappointed by the findings.

On May 6, Tullow Oil announced that the Nsoga-1 exploration well, which is located in the Butiaba region of Uganda Block 2, had encountered good quality Kasamene-type oil bearing reservoirs in a down-dip location at the oil water contact.

The firm said in a separate low net-to-gross section, immediately above this Kasamene-type reservoir, 12 metres of thin-bedded oil bearing sands were also encountered and are likely to have deeper oil water contacts based on seismic amplitudes and pressures.

Nsoga-1 was the seventh successful test of the Victoria Nile Delta within the Lake Albert Rift Basin.