Page 6 - LatAmOil Week 41 2021

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Alameda is a section of Block 9 onshore Cuba (Image: Melbana Energy)

Melbana reports new “zone of

interest” in Alameda-1 well

AUSTRALIA’S Melbana Energy said earlier this interval of hydrocarbon shows between 670
week that it had encountered another “zone of metres and 1,130 metres, as well as the high-
interest” while drilling the Alameda-1 explo- er-pressure interval below 1,820 metres, it
ration well at the Block 9 licence area onshore noted. Preparations for electric logging are now
Cuba. underway at the well, it added.
In a statement, Melbana reported that it had Melbana had said previously that it would
sunk Alameda-1 to a depth of 1,842 metres as of continue drilling to a planned intermediate cas-
October 12, or 22 metres below the 1,820-metre ing point at a depth of around 2,200 metres and
mark reached on October 5. In that 22-metre then beginning wireline logging operations.
interval, the well encountered high-pressure Andrew Purcell, Melbana’s executive chair-
levels and hydrocarbon shows that consisted of man, expressed satisfaction with recent devel-
an “increasingly strong influx of gas with some opments. “Exploration drilling often provides
oil,” it noted. unexpected results and thus requires flexible
The company explained that it had been flar- responses,” he remarked. “Whilst drilling has
ing the gas in order to manage this influx but not progressed as far as we had projected this
had yet to deploy testing equipment to deter- past week, this was due to encountering a high-
mine flow rates or the ratio of liquids to gaseous er-pressure zone earlier than we expected. The
hydrocarbons. Even so, it commented, “these gas and oil influx into the well bore (following
results suggest there are now at least two inter- the earlier significant thickness of reported
vals in the secondary objective that need closer good to excellent oil shows) provides even more
examination.” (It was referring to the deeper U1 encouragement regarding this shallow part of
layer, which Melbana has identified as its sec- the well. We await the results of the electric log-
ondary drilling target.) ging, which have been brought forward from the
Melbana is now preparing to continue down- original plan, with great interest.”
ward toward its primary objective, the N and Melbana is developing Block 9 in co-opera-
Alameda layers of the Lower Thrust Sheet. First, tion with Angola’s national oil company (NOC)
though, it will acquire a suite of wireline logs and Sonangol, which acquired a 70% stake in the
run a liner in order to seal off the drilled sections project via a farm-in deal in 2020.
of the well to a depth of 1,842 metres. This will Sonangol has agreed to cover 85% of the
allow drilling to proceed “in a controlled man- $30mn cost of the two-well drilling programme
ner,” despite the higher pressures and higher that begins with the Alameda-1 exploration
mud weights in the deeper part of the well. well, and the Australian company will cover the
The wireline logs will cover the higher remaining 15%. ™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 41 14•October•2021