Sahara Group’s upstream affiliate, Enageed Resources, has completed the third well of a three-well onshore drilling programme in Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 274 and has demobilised its drilling rig, HPEB-187.
Sahara Group, a privately owned Nigerian energy company headquartered in Lagos and with offices in Geneva, Dubai, Singapore, Abuja, Abidjan and Accra, on Tuesday announced the results of drilling and testing in the Edo State block, where it holds a 100 percent working interest.
“Today marks an historic occasion for Sahara Group, for its upstream division and for the nation. Success was achieved in doubling our certified 2P reserves in the Oki-Oziengbe South field and making a new commercial discovery with the Oluegi-1 exploration well,” Tonye Cole, Sahara’s chief executive officer and managing director, said.
“More importantly, this was realised by an indigenous Nigerian independent and all work was done in-house by our dynamic, young team. This is particularly satisfying because as we look ahead, we have a healthy prospect inventory in OPL 274 and several other promising blocks elsewhere in Nigeria and in our growing African opportunity portfolio. This portends well, with years of future drilling activity ahead and sustained growth for Sahara’s Upstream,” he said.
Cole said the feat would not have been possible “without the support and hands-on role undertaken by certain key stakeholders, all of whom we are indebted to and grateful for the part they played towards achieving this milestone. Not taking for granted the various service contractors who individually and collectively played their part, we would like to appreciate in particular, the good people of Koko, Ajoki and Ajamogha in Edo State, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Diamond Bank Plc all of which were instrumental to our success.”
Aside from the drilling of Oluegi-1, Sahara also drilled two successful appraisal wells, Oki-Oziengbe South 4 and 5. Sahara’s successful drilling programme followed a two-year long, two-phase, land-swamp 3D seismic survey in the 871 sq km licence. Sahara’s seismic and drilling programme achieved nearly two-million man hours LTI-free operation, according to a statement.
Curtis Cohen, Sahara’s Upstream chief operating officer, said: “Our OPL 274 exploration programme realised a number of firsts for Sahara. We shot our first onshore 3D seismic, drilled and operated our first onshore wells, made our first oil discovery and first appraisal, and tested first oil at rates in excess of 5600 barrels of oil per day.”
