Pancontinental Oil and Gas, BG Group starts offshore drilling in Kenya

Pancontinental Oil & Gas  and BG Group  have spudded exploration well Sunbird-1 in licence area L10A offshore Kenya.

The Kenya L10A consortium consists of BG Group, operator, with 50% working interest; PTTEP with 31.25% working interest, and Pancontinental with 18.75% working interest.

Sunbird-1 is expected to take 50 to 60 days to drill to 3,000 metres below sea level, with an option to extend to 3,700 metres. Water depth is 721 metres.

Wireline logging, pressure and fluid sampling are planned, with intention to leave the well in condition to allow re-entry at a later date.

Notably, Sunbird-1 is the first ever test of a Miocene Pinnacle Reef offshore East Africa, and the first ever exploration well in L10A in the Lamu Basin offshore Kenya.

An extensive trend of Miocene Reefs is evident in Pancontinental’s four licence areas offshore southern Kenya, with Sunbird-1 regarded as a tight hole exploration well.

Results will be announced after completion of drilling and assessment of gathered data.