Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. is running three concurrent work programs on the continent: a horizontal sidetrack and flow test at the Kavango West 1X (KW1X) well in Namibia's PEL 73, a petroleum-system investigation on memorandum-of-understanding acreage in Angola, and a 3D seismic reprocessing project on the Ngulu concession offshore Gabon.

Namibia: 1,000-m lateral planned

Flow test samples from the Huttenberg and Elandshoek formations at KW1X indicate thermogenic natural gas with liquid potential and maturities ranging from late oil to early gas, the company said. The well sits in the Damara Fold Belt trend on PEL 73, where ReconAfrica holds 70% as operator, alongside BW Energy Ltd. (20%) and the National Petroleum Corp. of Namibia (NAMCOR, 10%).

The sidetrack aims to answer three questions: deliverability of the well bore, liquid yield from the gas stream, and formation pressure response. The design targets a horizontal section of up to 1,000 m to intersect natural fractures across the Kavango structure. The company plans to complete the well open hole, without casing or cement, to maximize flow rate from the fractures and the porosity zones already identified.

Operations are underway. The Jarvie-1 rig has resumed work in the vertical well bore, where crews have started pulling casing ahead of setting a whipstock at about 2,500 m. Rig maintenance is complete, required equipment is on site or in transit, and all permits have been filed with the appropriate regulators, according to ReconAfrica.

Pending approvals and equipment arrival, horizontal drilling is slated for October and should take roughly a month. Flow testing will follow immediately after completion — the well will be tested before any acid wash.

Angola: seismic targeted for 2027

On the MOU acreage across the border, preliminary results from soil sampling conducted in May and June point to a working, thermogenic petroleum system with liquid content potential, mirroring the Namibian side of the play. The operator reported micro seeps at surface that suggest vertical migration from deeper hydrocarbon accumulations.

The next phase is a 2D seismic survey, possibly in 2027, to outline the structural trend of the Damara Fold Belt as it extends into Angola. That program remains contingent on the seismic outcome and represents appraisal-stage work — no well commitments are in place yet.

Gabon: reprocessing before yearend

At Ngulu, the 3D seismic reprocessing program applies full waveform inversion to illuminate oil-bearing reservoirs within the Loba field and the salt-related exploration inventory across the concession. ReconAfrica expects to finish the reprocessing before yearend and will commission a concurrent resource report.

The company is already selecting appraisal well locations targeting the Loba oil discovery, with well planning underway for an anticipated spud.

What to watch

The October spud of the KW1X lateral and the deliverability numbers from the subsequent flow test will frame whether the Damara Fold Belt gas-condensate play can carry toward commerciality — followed by the Ngulu resource report and appraisal well siting before the Gabon program advances next year.