Promising discovery in Invictus gas exploration

AUSTRALIAN oil and gas exploration firm, Invictus Energy, said they have encountered strong gas shows and fluorescence in multiple additional Lower Angwa reservoirs.

Invictus is on a mission to explore for oil and gas in the Muzarabani area and it has already concluded drilling operations at Mukuyu-ST1, which it described as a tremendous success.

In an update, Invictus Energy said the strong gas shows of up to 65 times above background gas baseline, with associated drilling breaks and fluorescence in cuttings indicative of presence of liquid hydrocarbons have been encountered in multiple additional Lower Angwa (Massive Member) sandstone reservoirs from 3 296m measured depth to total depth.

The company said high levels of trip gas were observed when drilling recommenced along with increasing levels of connection gas during drilling which necessitated raising the mud weight to maintain the required pressure overbalance in the borehole.

“We have had further encouraging signs from the Mukuyu-2 well since drilling recommenced with multiple additional zones encountering strong gas shows and fluorescence in the

Lower Angwa formation, said Invictus Energy managing director Mr Scott Macmillan

“The planned comprehensive wireline logging programme, including formation pressure and fluid sampling, sidewall cores and check shot surveys will be run with the aim of confirming the presence of moveable hydrocarbons in multiple zones in the Upper and Lower Angwa formations to declare a discovery,” he said.

Mr Macmillan said the company expects completing the wireline logging programme in the next six to eight days depending on logging conditions and number of fluid sampling stations.

Last year, the firm indicated that the country could be sitting on more than 5,5 billion barrels of oil.

The company said the project is one of the largest oil and gas exploration prospects to be drilled globally this year and if successful, could be transformative for the company and Zimbabwe.

In 2020, the Government classified the Muzarabani project as one of the priority development projects, which can provide a significant economic benefit to the economy in its pursuit for an upper middle-income status by 2030. —chronicle