Portuguese energy company Galp has made another significant discovery of light oil and gas condensate during its second exploration and appraisal campaign in Namibia’s Orange Basin. This latest find marks the fifth successful well drilled under the program.
The exploration was conducted in blocks 2813A and 2814B, operating under Petroleum Exploration License 83 (PEL 83). Galp leads the project with an 80% stake, while Custos Energy and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) each hold 10%. The license area is surrounded by other promising prospects and discoveries made by major players like TotalEnergies, Chevron, Shell, and Woodside, reinforcing the region’s reputation as one of the world’s most promising oil and gas frontiers.
Galp confirmed that the Mopane-3X well, spudded on January 2, 2025, has been drilled, cored, and logged. The exploration targeted two stacked prospects, AVO-10 and AVO-13, along with a deeper sand formation in the southeastern part of the Mopane complex, at a water depth of approximately 1,200 meters.
Preliminary findings reveal significant light oil and gas-condensate columns within AVO-10, along with light oil accumulations in AVO-13 and the deeper sand formation. These resources were encountered in high-quality sandstone reservoirs, with log measurements indicating excellent porosity, high pressure, and strong permeability. Initial fluid samples showed low oil viscosity and minimal concentrations of CO₂ and H₂S, underscoring the reservoir’s promising characteristics.
“These new discoveries in an entirely different section of Mopane highlight the vast scale and quality of the complex,” said Knowledge Katti, Chairman and CEO of Custos Energy. “This achievement further clarifies the multi-phase potential of Mopane, a truly world-class asset. We commend our joint venture partners for another safe and successful campaign, positioning us at the heart of this emerging hydrocarbon province.”
Galp believes the higher-than-expected pressures and initial results from the well could pave the way for further exploration and appraisal activities in the southeastern region of Mopane. The collected data will now be incorporated into the reservoir model to guide future operations.
A proprietary 3D seismic acquisition campaign is already underway and is expected to conclude in the first quarter of 2025, with subsequent data processing to follow.
The Mopane-3X well sits approximately 18 kilometers from the Mopane-1X exploration well, drilled in November 2023. This discovery follows a series of successful wells, including Mopane-2X in March 2024, the Mopane-1A appraisal well in October 2024, and Mopane-2A in December 2024.
In late December 2024, the PEL 83 partners announced that Saipem’s Santorini drillship was preparing to move to the Mopane-3X site as part of the ongoing drilling campaign.