MARSABIT ON THE VERGE OF OIL PRODUCTION

Marsabit County could soon start reaping the benefits of  its  untapped  abundant  natural  resources, thanks to recent discoveries of rich oil deposits. For the first time in the history of Marsabit, Africa Oil and Marathon Kenya oil have announced that the region is highly rich in gas after it discovered oil in block 9-Bahasi well. The development is good news for the county’s leaders as they seek to find viable ways to unlock the county’s socio-economic potential.

The administration has been working very closely with the national government and global economic partnerships including Canadian explorer Africa Oil in prospecting for oil and the drilling exercise has now yielded gas discoveries, creating new investment opportunities.

The oil companies have embarked on drilling expected to be sunk to a depth of 4112 meters after the initial depth of 2,900 did not yield dividends but further exploration has now borne fruit.Keith Hill, President and CEO of Africa Oil, said the newly acquired seismic surveys have identified favourable and potentially high-impact exploration target on Paipai-1.

Kenya has recently become a hotbed of exploration, with neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda also striking commercially viable quantities of hydrocarbons. A total of 44 out of Kenya’s 46 oil exploration blocks have been licensed to explorers.

an oil drill in Marsabit

 

Africa Oil’s exploration success in northern Kenya has raised  the  country’s  profile  as  a  viable  frontier  market investment destination for local and global investors in the energy sector. So far, British exploration firm Tullow Oil and its partners have commenced drilling on a new well in northern Kenya as the country steps up its search for oil reserves. Drilling on Paipai-1 well within Block 10A in Marsabit County commenced recently, just weeks after the firm, with partner Tullow, made their fifth consecutive wildcat discovery at Agete in Turkana County.

 

Tullow holds a 50 per cent stake on Block 10A while Canada’s Africa Oil has a 30 per cent interest and London-listed Afren, has the remaining 20 per cent.Paipai-1 will verify a large structural trap in what is measured to be an oil-prone area of the Anza basin, according to Hill. He said newly acquired seismic surveys have identified favourable and potentially high-impact exploration target on Paipai-1. 

It is envisaged that the discoveries at Paipai would extend the producing plays of Sudan into Kenya and open a  potentially  significant  and  new  petroleum  province within Kenya. The firm is implementing an accelerated exploration programme after the Ngamia-1 discovery in the Tertiary Rift Play explored earlier in the year. Marsabit on the verge of oil production 55.