Zimbabwe Gas Explorer Plans to Drill
Australian explorer Invictus Energy said its Mzarabani prospect in northern Zimbabwe has at least 3.9 trillion ft3 of gas resources, describing the size as "truly staggering."
"The world class potential of the Mzarabani prospect was been confirmed through an independent report by Netherland, Sewell and Associates, Inc. (NSAI) which estimates 3.9 trillion ft3 of gas and 181 mn barrels of condensate (gross mean unrisked); the size of the primary Upper Angwa target alone in Mzarabani Prospect places us in giant scale field potential," said Invictus managing director Scott Macmillan in a statement issued after the company's November 19 annual general meeting. The NSAI estimate though is a "prospective resource estimate" only.
Moreover the prospect has never been drilled. In another recent statement, Invictus said it plans to drill an exploration well on the prospect mid- 2020, investing $20mn in the process.
Invictus owns 80% of the special grant 4571 in hydrocarbon-rich, trans-boundary Cabora Bassa basin; Zimbabwean firm One Gas Resources holds the other 20%.
Mobil (now part of ExxonMobil) owned the acreage where it conducted surveys in the 1990s, but relinquished it after establishing that it contained more gas than oil without first having drilled a well. Technical work will continue in 2019, said Macmillan in the Nov.19 release, to help quantify additional potential with a farm-out a possibility in that year too.
Mobil spent US$30mn on 2D seismic, gravity, aeromagnetic and geochemical data and its dataset until recently was not in the public domain.