China’s Greatwall Bags Lamu’s Pate 2 Well Drilling Contract

Greatwall Drilling Company Ltd has been contracted to drill Pate 2 well in Zarara Oil and Gas operated Block L4 scheduled to spud later in the year according to sources.

The Chinese driller beat a team of other companies including Dubai based Sakson Drilling & Oil Services earlier involved in drilling at the Amosing and Twiga appraisal wells operated by Tullow Oil. The company has since withdrawn from the region and has its rigs in other countries in Africa including Algeria.

Pate-2 is expected to be drilled to a target depth of 4,500 metres and is expected to take up to 120 days to drill, test and complete.

Other contract winners include Norwegian company North Sea Well Engineering Limited (Norwell Engineering) as the design and planning company that will ensure everything goes as desired. Among its first chores will be the deciding of the road route as well identifying and considering ports and jetties that will be utilized in the process.Both Norwell Engineering and Greatwall drilling were involved in the drilling of Badada 1 well located in the Anza Basin, Block 2B.

Medivac-Kenya will provide medical services to the workers in camps while corporate security company and risk management contractor Salama Fikira will be in charge of security.

According to country manager Peter Nduru mobilization is expected to commence in June with drilling expected after the company receives environmental compliance certificate from the national environmental management agency (NEMA). The ESIA was carried out by ESF consultants a regional Environmental Management firm with regional offices in Nairobi Kenya.

According to Midway Resources If testing shows commercial quantities of natural gas (<30 Bcf), the well will be completed as a producer with the view to production through an early production system as quickly as practicable.

Once Pate 2 is complete the company also plans to drill Pate-3 from the Pate-2 pad, using directional drilling to a vertical depth of 4,500 metres with the total measured depth will be approximately 5,000 metres. The required drilling time to approximately 120 days to drill, test and complete.