The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has discovered gas, condensate and light sweet oil of API gravity ranging from 38 to 41 in the Northern Nigerian State of Bauchi, but the commercial viability is yet to be confirmed.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports NNPC officially made this known on Friday, saying, the gas component is currently being flared to avoid pressure build up around the drilling rig.
“At about 21:20 hours of 10th October 2019, @NNPCgroup drilling crew working at Kolmani River-II in Gongola Basin have encountered hydrocarbon outflow to the well head while performing well test operations.
“The gas component is currently being flared to avoid pressure build up around the drilling rig. Further assessment of the Hydrocarbon type and volume are being carried out,” NNPC tweeted on its official Twitter handle.
INFORMATION:
At about 21:20 hours of 10th October 2019, @NNPCgroup drilling crew working at Kolmani River-II in Gongola Basin have encountered hydrocarbon outflow to the well head while performing well test operations.
— Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) October 11, 2019
The gas component is currently being flared to avoid pressure build up around the drilling rig. Further assessment of the Hydrocarbon type and volume are being carried out pic.twitter.com/lDjqTHPMOw
— Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) October 11, 2019
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Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, on the 2nd of February 2019, had flagged off drilling of the Kolmani River II Well, a site near Barambu, a village in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
NNPC announced the discovery of the hydrocarbon (oil and gas) deposits in the Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the North-Eastern part of the country.
According to a statement by NNPC’s acting spokesman, Mr. Samson Makoji, the Corporation acquired 435.54km2 of 3D Seismic Data over Kolmani Prospect in the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin.
This was to evaluate Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) Kolmani River 1 Well Discovery of 33 BCF and explore deeper levels. The well was drilled with “IKENGA RIG 101” to a total depth of 13,701 feet encountering oil and gas in several levels. A Drill Stem Test (DST) is currently on-going to confirm the commercial viability and flow of the Kolmani River reservoirs.
The Corporation explained that on Thursday 10th October, 2019, at 18:02hours, one of the reservoirs was perforated and hydrocarbon started flowing to the well head at 21:20hours in which the gas component was flared to prevent air charge around the Rig.
Preliminary reports indicate that the discovery consists of gas, condensate and light sweet oil of API gravity ranging from 38 to 41 found in stacked siliciclastic cretaceous reservoirs of Yolde, Bima Sandstone and Pre-Bima formations. Computation of hydrocarbon volume is on-going and will be announced in due course.
The Corporation has also acquired additional 1183km2 of 3D seismic data over highly prospective areas of Gongola Basin with a view to evaluating the full hydrocarbon potential of the Basin.
NNPC has deployed world class cutting-edge technologies including Surface Geochemistry, Ground Gravity/Magnetic, Stress Field Detection, Full Tensor Gradiometry aerial surveys to de-risk exploration in the frontier basins. The NNPC plans to drill additional wells for full evaluation of the hydrocarbon volume in the Gongola Basin.
The discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantity in the Gongola Basin will attract foreign investment, generate employment for people to earn income and increase government revenues.