Zim a step closer to oil/gas breakthrough: Invictus
Australian firm, Invictus Energy, which is scouring the ground for petroleum deposits in Mbire and Muzarabani districts (Mashonaland Central province) north of Zimbabwe, moved closer to its objective of discovering commercially extractable hydrocarbons in the country, after successfully recovering a fluid sample from the shallower Pebbly Arkose geological formation target.
The company is now battling to overcome challenging test well conditions, after recovering fluid samples from Pebbly Arkose, to also get two more samples further down to determine the existence of moveable petroleum deposits at the Mukuyu-2 exploration well.
Invictus said its exploration team successfully recovered natural gas (predominantly methane and trace heavier hydrocarbons to the surface from the Pebbly Arkose formation and continued pipe-conveyed logging (gauging) operations due to challenging borehole conditions.
After encountering challenges completing the sample recovery for the remaining target geological formations due to borehole washout (damage) the company will drill a side track to complete the process for the Lower and Upper Angwa rock formations to the targeted measured depth.
“Further evaluation results continue to reaffirm the presence of moveable hydrocarbons at Mukuyu-2, evidenced by the recovery of natural gas from the Pebbly Arkose formation and further wireline logging data interpretations obtained from the Upper and Lower Angwa reservoirs.
“Due to compounding sampling challenges, borehole conditions and well control measures the company, in conjunction with our service providers, has determined a simple vertical sidetrack will provide the strongest opportunity to achieve our remaining Upper and Lower Angwa evaluation objectives.
“The company is currently funded to conduct and evaluate the planned sidetrack operations, with the completion allowing the well to be suspended for future flow testing,” Invictus chief executive Scott McMillan said.
