Pan-African oil and gas explorer Simba Energy will in a fortnight launch a survey of its Mandera Block 2A concession in preparation for drilling this year.
The 2D seismic survey is expected to offer clearer estimate of the oil reserves and confirm the high quality oil of the block.
The new survey is part of an agreement with the JV partner Essel that acquired equity in the block last year August.
Essel agreed to a minimum exploration programme for Block 2A comprising additional 2D seismic, possible 3D seismic and drilling on at least two prospects over the next 12 to 18 months at a minimum estimated cost of Sh6 billion ($60 million).
“Simba Energy is at an extremely exciting stage of its development, with preparations for the 2D seismic survey now complete on the Block 2A asset in Kenya, and the shooting of lines about to commence in the next 10-15 days, in preparation of the commencement of a drill programme later in 2016,” said Essel Group chief executive officer and partner Simba Energy’s CEO Punkaj Gupta.
Mr Gupta said the company would commence the shooting of lines of 2D seismic in the next 7-12 days having completed the necessary preparations.
The seismic exercise involves acquiring and interpreting up to 500 line kilometres of 2D seismic data. This will allow oil exploration firms to confirm depths and support the volume estimates.
Simba Energy had earlier done seismic data collection from 218 listening stations covering the existing three leads.
Data results obtained were reported by GeoDynamics Worldwide as being of high (clean) quality and this is expected to be confirmed with the current 2D seismic processing.
In the 7,801.72 square kilometre block lying on the southern tip of the Mandera Basin with the southwest corner of the block extending into the Anza Basin, some explorers hit oil of below 50 metres while others failed to encounter any hydrocarbons.
In August 2014, Bell Geospace conducted a full tensor gradiometry survey analysis and interpretation.
To date four wells have been drilled in the Mandera basin with oil shows encountered at 40-44 metres in the Tarbaj well drilled by Total.
A dozen wells drilled in the Anza Basin have encountered oil shows and/or gas shows with one gas discovery at Sala-1 in Block 9 by Africa Oil. In the Anza basin potential reservoir thickness of 300 and 500 metres has been mapped.
Recently Taipan Resources through its Kenyan subsidiary drilled the Badada-1 well to the south of Block 2A to a total depth of 3,500 metres encountering no hydrocarbons.
