{"id":352,"date":"2014-01-09T13:51:03","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T13:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oilnewskenya.com\/?p=352"},"modified":"2015-09-02T20:51:42","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T20:51:42","slug":"uganda-govt-adopts-horizontal-drilling-method-for-its-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/uganda-govt-adopts-horizontal-drilling-method-for-its-oil\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda Gov\u2019t adopts horizontal drilling method for its oil"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uganda has adopted the horizontal oil drilling method as a way to reduce impact on the environment and wildlife in the environmentally sensitive Albertine graben.<\/h3>\n

Commercial deposits of oil, which currently stands at 3.5 billion barrels, have been discovered in the Albertine graben which incidentally also harbours key tourist attractions in national parks.<\/p>\n

Environmentalists have raised fears that oil production would affect the rich eco-system especially because some wells are within Murchison falls national park that is rich in endangered animal species like elephants and lions.<\/p>\n

However, experts say that besides increasing production, horizontal drilling reduces the environmental impact as opposed to the popularly used vertical drilling.<\/p>\n

Horizontal drilling is one form of directional drilling which has been an integral part of the oil and gas industry since the 1920s. Here, wells are drilled at multiple angles, not just vertically, to better reach and produce oil and gas reserves.<\/p>\n

Most horizontal wells begin at the surface as a vertical well. Drilling progresses until a few hundred feet above the target rock unit where the well is diverted to move horizontally.<\/p>\n

TOTAL, the company exploring for oil in Murchison falls national park, has been the first to launch horizontal drilling in Jobi-6 appraisal well within Murchison falls national park.<\/p>\n

Tullow also has developed a deviated well in the Jobi field, according to Wilson Mbire Tumushabe, a geologist and field monitor at the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department (PEPD) in the energy ministry.<\/p>\n

Mbire explained that TOTAL\u2019s Jobi-6 well runs 722 meters vertically. It was diverted at 88 degrees, from where it runs 1,725 meters horizontally.<\/p>\n

He said that with horizontal drilling, different wells can be connected to one production well. From a single location, various wells can be drilled at myriad angles, tapping reserves miles away and more than a mile below the surface, which reduces the surface footprint of a drilling operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorizontal wells are better producers and are the best in terms of environmental conservation,\u201d Mbire said. He was addressing Ugandan and Tanzanian journalists under the oil reporting fellowship organised by the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) and the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI)<\/span><\/div>\n

Edgar Buhanga, the natural resource coordinator at the\u00a0Uganda<\/a>\u00a0Wildlife Authority (UWA<\/a>), described horizontal drilling as the best technology in environmentally sensitive zones like national parks as well as busy areas like urban centres and residential areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been pushing for it for so long because it reduces the number of surface infrastructure that would be put in place for oil production,\u201d Buhanga said.<\/p>\n

\u201cVertical drilling involves removal of vegetation in various areas to put up drilling pads. With horizontal drilling, you access many oil pockets within the ground from the same point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horizontal drilling has been used in areas like the Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin and the Bakken Formation of North Dakota where it is credited for hitting targets that cannot be reached by vertical drilling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen directional drilling is combined with hydraulic fracturing some rock units which were unproductive when drilled vertically can become fantastic producers of oil or natural gas,\u201d reads an article on www.rigzone.com, a popular oil and gas website run by geologists.<\/p>\n

According to the article, horizontal drilling increases production by as much as 20 times more than that of its vertical counterpart.<\/p>\n

In 2010, the University of Texas at Arlington was featured in the news for drilling 22 wells on a single drill pad that will drain natural gas from 1100 acres beneath the campus. Over a 25 year life-time the wells are expected to produce a total of 110 billion cubic feet of gas. Experts say the method significantly reduced the footprint of natural gas development within the campus area.<\/p>\n

However, it said that horizontal drilling is expensive, with a possibility of costing up to three times as much per foot as drilling a vertical well when combined with hydraulic fracturing. Even so, the extra cost is usually recovered by increased production from the well.<\/p>\n

[twitter-follow screen_name=’oilnewskenya’]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uganda has adopted the horizontal oil drilling method as a way to reduce impact on the environment and wildlife in the environmentally sensitive Albertine graben. Commercial deposits of oil, which … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,11],"tags":[78,117,1086,1207,2010,2150,2533,2565,2603,3576],"class_list":["post-352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-by-others","category-top-news","tag-african-centre-for-media-excellence","tag-albertine-graben","tag-horizontal-drilling","tag-jobi-6","tag-petroleum-exploration-and-production-department","tag-revenue-watch-institute","tag-total","tag-tullow","tag-uganda","tag-uganda-wildlife-authority","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/horizontal.jpg?fit=185%2C273&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5JWkQ-5G","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3210,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/preview-ugandas-oil-gas-sector\/","url_meta":{"origin":352,"position":0},"title":"Preview into Uganda\u2019s Oil and Gas Sector","author":"","date":"August 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Uganda\u2019s oil and gas sector has since the discovery of oil in 2006 transitioned from the exploration and appraisal phase to the development phase as the country prepares for sustainable production of the petroleum resources. A number of oil companies are currently licensed in the country to undertake petroleum exploration,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Top News"","block_context":{"text":"Top News","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/top-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/uganda-oil-001.jpg?fit=460%2C276&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6941,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/albertine-graben-refinery-consortium-awarded-uganda-refinery-bid\/","url_meta":{"origin":352,"position":1},"title":"Albertine Graben Refinery Consortium Awarded Uganda Refinery","author":"","date":"April 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The General Electric,\u00a0SAIPEM SPA led Albertine Graben Refinery Consortium (AGRC) will now build the oil refinery in Hoima District after the signing of the Project Framework Agreement between the government and the AGRC. The agreement will ensure development, design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the oil refinery in Hoima\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Top News"","block_context":{"text":"Top News","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/top-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/refinery.jpg?fit=1120%2C1018&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/refinery.jpg?fit=1120%2C1018&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/refinery.jpg?fit=1120%2C1018&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/refinery.jpg?fit=1120%2C1018&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/refinery.jpg?fit=1120%2C1018&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7166,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/unoc-cnooc-sign-oil-exploration-deal\/","url_meta":{"origin":352,"position":2},"title":"UNOC, CNOOC Sign Oil Exploration Deal","author":"","date":"September 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Uganda National Oil Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese explorer CNOOC that will allow them to together conduct oil exploration and development in the Albertine Graben. According to the statement issued by UNOC the MoU which was signed during the margins of the China-Africa forum on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Top News"","block_context":{"text":"Top News","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/top-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Chinese-president-Xi-Jinping-with-Ugandas-Museveni.-Courtesy-Photo.jpg?fit=515%2C317&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10466,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/albertine-refinery-add-3b-annually-to-ugandas-gdp\/","url_meta":{"origin":352,"position":3},"title":"Albertine Refinery to Add $3B Annually to Uganda’s GDP","author":"","date":"June 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has said studies have indicated a positive cost-benefit analysis for the Albertine Graben Refinery adding up to $3.3 billion annually to the country's national GDP of $27 billion and up to $8.2 billion to the national capital formation. Further, Uganda expects the $4 billion\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Countries"","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5125,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/highlights-of-tullow-oil-total-ep-production-licences-in-uganda\/","url_meta":{"origin":352,"position":4},"title":"Highlights of Tullow Oil, Total E&P Production Licences in Uganda","author":"","date":"September 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Duration: The Licences have been issued for a period of 25 years and can be renewed for an additional period of 5 years as provided for in the Production Sharing Agreements. The companies will commence work by undertaking Environment and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Resettlement Action Plans (RAP) and Front\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Top News"","block_context":{"text":"Top News","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/top-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Tullow-Total-CNOOC-Signing.jpg?fit=960%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Tullow-Total-CNOOC-Signing.jpg?fit=960%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Tullow-Total-CNOOC-Signing.jpg?fit=960%2C540&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Tullow-Total-CNOOC-Signing.jpg?fit=960%2C540&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2516,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/uganda-auction-six-oil-blocks\/","url_meta":{"origin":352,"position":5},"title":"Uganda to auction six more oil blocks","author":"","date":"February 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Uganda\u2019s cabinet has approved the auction of six new exploration blocks in the oil rich Albertine basin in what will see the country\u2019s first competitive bidding round. The new shift follows the passing of the Petroleum Exploration Development and Production Act 2013 Section 52 which allows the State Minister for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Top News"","block_context":{"text":"Top News","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/top-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/kingfisher-uganda.jpg?fit=451%2C413&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3313,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions\/3313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}