Title:

250708006070: The renewed Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) No. 0091 granted to the Proponent (Reconnaissance Energy Namibia (REN) (Pty) Ltd) on the 26 August 2022 and expiring on the 26 August 2025 with respect to the proposed and ongoing drilling of multiple stratigraphic wells with supporting infrastructures such as existing burrow pits, new access roads, and related services, in the Areas of Interest, Kavango Sedimentary Basin, Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) No. 73, Kavango West and East Regions, Northern Namibia

Publication Year:
2025
Abstract:

The renewed Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) No. 0091 granted to the Proponent (Reconnaissance Energy Namibia (REN) (Pty) Ltd) on the 26 August 2022 and expiring on the 26 August 2025 with respect to the proposed and ongoing drilling of multiple stratigraphic wells with supporting infrastructures such as existing burrow pits, new access roads, and related services, in the Areas of Interest, Kavango Sedimentary Basin, Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) No. 73, Kavango West and East Regions, Northern Namibia. To date REN has delineated the Kavango Sedimentary Basin and associated sub-basin structures and has defined the key exploration Areas of Interest (AOI) based on the interpretation of the available Government high resolution airborne geophysical data, regional structural geological mapping, and onshore historical for Namibia. To confirm the presence of an active petroleum system and validate the existence of the Kavango Sedimentary Basin delineated from airborne data, and as agreed with the Government of the Republic of Namibia represented by MIME, the Proponent has committed to drilling, multiple stratigraphic test wells to study the geology of the AOI. A total of four (4) stratigraphic test wells were committed as part of the exploration programme in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Agreement and multiple alternatives well sites were selected and evaluated in the EIA dated June 2019. The first stratigraphic test well to have been drilled in PEL No. 73 is the Kawe 6-2 (1819/8-1) situated at Kawe Village, followed by the Mbambi 6-1 (1819/4-1) stratigraphic test well situated north of village of Mbambi and the Makandina 1 (1819/8-2) stratigraphic well situated north of the village of Makandina in Kavango East Region. According to the public information issued by the Proponent, the results of the first two stratigraphic test wells drilled and subsequent 2D seismic data acquired in the Kavango Sedimentary Basin, have established a significant rift basin like the other major petroleum provinces/rift basins including onshore Africa, and areas of the North Sea. The integrated interpretation has established three (3) groups of hydrocarbon opportunities (“Plays”), and five (5) drillable prospects (including sidetracking of the 6-2 Kawe well) and eighteen (18) leads in the first of five sub-basins. The drilling of the proposed drillable Prospects (P) P23, P32, and P2-7Ga including the sidetracking of the 6-2 Kawe well drilled to a total depth of 2292m in March 2021, will form part of the scope of the possible exploration programme to be undertaken for period 2025-2028. As part of the ongoing petroleum exploration operations in PEL 73 in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Agreement, the following is the summary of the alternative stratigraphic test wells sites that have been identified and may be drilled in 2025-2028 in addition to the side tracking of the Kawe 6-2 well: (i) Prospect (P) 32 situated on communal land about 400m to north of the village of Cumezao and D3400 road (Location: 18°21'15.9030"S, 19°51'40.3686"E). (ii) Prospect (P) 23 situated on communal land about 5km to the southwest of the village of Hamweyi and D3425 (Location: 18°21'18.9137"S, 19°55'01.9628"E). (iii) Prospect (P) 2-7Ga situated on privately owned large-scale agricultural commercial farming units on communal land and is about 12km to the south of Mutwewambahe settlement (Location: 18°24'42.6361"S, 20°02'18.2718"E), and. (iv) 6-2 Kawe well was drilled in 2021 and the site as an existing 500 m long access track that comes off the D3400 road, 18km from the Ncaute turnoff. The drilling location is situated about 2.2 km from Kawe Village and 500 m to the north off the D3400 road (Location: 18°20'25.7"S, 19°58'29.0"E). The proposed sidetrack for the 6-2 Kawe well will drill at about 37 degrees to the target horizon. The deviated section would be approximately 850m to the west of the 6-2 at about 1650m deep. The final local well locations within each of the defined 3Ha drilling areas and access road coordinates might be adjusted slightly during the final site layouts while taking into considerations the presences of the tagged protected and mature trees to be preserved and incorporated in the layouts of each of the sites subject to the equipment operational safety requirements clearances.

Item Type:
Report
Language:
en
Last date for commenting on this EIA: Thursday, 28 August 2025

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