Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) last week confirmed to wwww.newswire.ca that they are spudding the second well in the Kavango Basin in the north east of the country.
“Spudding in” or to “spud” a well means to commence with drilling operations.
The Canadian company has been assigned a high-level committee within the agriculture, water and land reform ministry, which will be kept updated on the project.
The ministerial committee represents the water resource management, water supply and sanitation, communal land management and agricultural projects departments. ReconAfrica, which has confirmed its commitment to the adherence of the Namibian laws, rules and regulations, has placed strong emphasis on hiring locally and nationally whenever possible.
To date, ReconAfrica has employed more than 200 Namibians in roles such as electricians; rig floor-hands; project managers; material technical specialists (construction, environment, wildlife surveying, water and hydrology); health, safety and environmental experts; administrative assistants; garden site workers, and
general labourers. These local and national employment numbers are expected to increase as the company moves forward with its conventional drilling and seismic programs. Additionally, ReconAfrica is working with Namibian educational institutions to enhance training programs directly related to energy.
Meanwhile, in keeping with ReconAfrica’s policy of implementing environmental best practices, the Canadian oil and gas company is using the most advanced drilling fluid available to protect the environment – namely, a water-based system. This Polyamine system, provided by Valence Drilling Fluids, uses freshwater as the base fluid. The plant-based products, added to the base fluid, are created through an organic process and are biodegradable.
“Not only is this water-based drilling fluid 100% safe to the environment, but it provides ideal samples (cuttings and core) to be utilised to determine a range of petroleum properties and locations for future exploration and production wells,” read a ReconAfrica statement.
According to the website, ReconAfrica is drilling to a target depth of 3 800 meters, with the continued drilling designed to evaluate the petroleum systems discovered in the first well in an area of maximum thickness.