Canadian energy company ReconAfrica announced on Thursday, July 16, that its Kavango West 1X exploration well successfully produced natural gas and hydrocarbon liquids during testing of the Elandshoek formation in northeastern Namibia. The achievement marks the first recorded instance of hydrocarbons flowing to the surface from an onshore exploration well in the country.
The company tested three separate intervals within the Elandshoek formation, which together measure approximately 163 metres in thickness. During three production tests conducted over a combined period of roughly 24 hours, the upper interval consistently flowed natural gas to the surface.
Gas and liquid samples collected during the tests have been sent to laboratories in the United States for detailed analysis, while hydrocarbons that were not retained for sampling were safely flared at the well site as part of standard testing procedures.
ReconAfrica cautioned that the initial results remain preliminary and should not be interpreted as evidence of commercial production. The company said limitations in the available testing equipment prevented it from accurately measuring flow rates, meaning the tests cannot yet determine the well’s production potential or forecast future commercial output.
Following completion of the Elandshoek tests, the company has relocated its testing equipment to the shallower Hüttenberg formation. Well-log data indicate approximately 76 metres of net hydrocarbon-bearing intervals within this formation. ReconAfrica expects testing of each zone to take around 10 days, with results anticipated by the end of August.
Environmental Concerns Continue
Despite the technical milestone, the Kavango Basin project remains controversial. Environmental organizations and local communities have raised concerns about exploration activities near protected ecosystems, including the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Okavango watershed, arguing that oil and gas development could threaten biodiversity and water re
In 2022, community groups and conservation organizations challenged ReconAfrica’s environmental approvals in Namibia’s High Court, alleging that exploration activities had been conducted without the necessary permits in protected areas. ReconAfrica rejected the allegations, and the High Court ultimately dismissed the case. Nevertheless, debate over the environmental implications of hydrocarbon exploration in the region continues as drilling activities progress.
https://trendsnafrica.com/namibia-advances-onshore-oil-exploration-with-kavango-west-1x-testing-phase/
Canada-based Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) has been exploring Namibia’s largely untapped Kavango Basin since 2021 under Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 73. The basin is considered one of the last major frontier hydrocarbon regions in Africa, although it remains significantly less explored than established oil and gas provinces such as Nigeria’s Niger Delta and Mozambique’s Rovuma Basin.
ReconAfrica operates the licence with a 70% working interest, while Norway-listed BW Energy holds 20% and Namibia’s state-owned National Petroleum Corporation (NAMCOR) owns the remaining 10%. Exploration activities were temporarily suspended in 2023 due to funding constraints before resuming after BW Energy joined the project.
Although previous drilling campaigns encountered hydrocarbons, the company has yet to announce a commerciallyect of environmental scrutiny because the licence area lies near the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA)—one of the world’s largest protected conservation regions—and the ecologically sensitive Okavango watersheds
