UK-based SDX Energy has reported an oil discovery in the West Gharib Concession in the Western Desert of Egypt following the drilling of its Rabul 5 well.
The Rabul 5 well was drilled to a total depth of 5,280ft when it had intersected nearly 151ft of net heavy oil pay across the Yusr and Bakr formations. SDX Energy revealed the average porosity of the oil pay to be 18%.
Rabul 5 adds up to the previous oil discoveries made by the company following the drilling of the Rabul 1 and Rabul 2 wells.
SDX Energy said that additional evaluation of the Rabul 5 discovery is going on, following which it expects the well to be completed as a producer. It will be later connected to the central processing plants at Meseda, revealed the North Africa focused oil and gas company.
After completing the Rabul 5 well, the company will move its drilling operations to the Rabul 4 well, which is the second of two appraisal wells planned for the Rabul prospect in 2018.
SDX president and CEO said: “We are pleased to continue our recent run of drilling success with this oil discovery at Rabul 5. This well encountered the thickest section of pay sands seen in the Rabul area to date, demonstrating the significant oil potential contained within the licence.
“We have further drilling activity planned for the concession over the coming months and we firmly believe that these activities will enable us to increase output from the licence and achieve our ambitious production plans for 2018.”
SDX Energy is the joint-operator of the West Gharib concession with a stake of 50% and is partnered by Dublin International Petroleum.
The Rabul 5 oil discovery comes after last week’s gas discovery made by SDX Energy on the Sebou permit in Morocco following the drilling of the SAH-2 well.
SDX Energy said that the SAH-2 well had encountered 5.2m of net conventional natural gas pay in two zones in the Guebbas and Hoot formations after being drilled to 1,304m depth.