Completed in March in area L10A, the Sunbird-1 well intersected a gross 29.6m gas column overlying a gross 14m oil column in the Sunbird Reef Pinnacle Reef in area L10A.
Pancontinental chief executive officer Barry Rushworth said that the Sunbird-1 well results implications for regional oil exploration were truly outstanding.
"We believe that this is a play opening discovery in Kenya’s Lamu Basin. Because of the Sunbird discovery we expect to see a significant increase in industry interest offshore Kenya," Rushworth added.
"We encountered a thick and effective seal over the top of the reef, which was an initial risk for us, and the regional follow-on implications of this are truly significant. Porosity, permeability and seal for the reservoir were all better than Pancontinental expected.
Following Sunbird-1 oil discovery, the L10A joint venture is seeking details of follow-up exploration activities.
"The Sunbird oil discovery has allowed us to geochemically type the oil source rocks, allowing the Joint Venture to effectively plan the way ahead for further oil exploration."
Meanwhile, the Block L10A Petroleum Sharing Contract operator, BG Group, is analyzing the well data and uses well results to recommend a future exploration program.
In addition to holding 18.75% interest in the well and block L10A, Pancontinental has three extensive exploration areas in the Lamu Basin offshore Kenya covering approximately 15,000km², including L10A.
Image: Pancontinental discovers first-ever oil at the Sunbird -1 well. Photo: num_skyman/Freedigitalphotos.net.
