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The Mukuyu-1 well was spudded in September (Image: Invictus Energy)

Gas could help ease Zimbabwe’s energy

crisis if Invictus makes commercial find

ZIMBABWE AUSTRALIAN oil and gas explorer Invictus Upper Angwa and Pebbly Arkose formations,”
Energy (Invictus) has reported encounter- Invictus’ Managing Director Scott Macmillan
ing potential hydrocarbons based on elevated said. “We will integrate the data we have gath-
resistivity at a site it is drilling in northeastern ered from the drilling, logs and seismic analysis
Zimbabwe. to determine an optimal future location to test
In a release on Wednesday, October 26, the the 200 Horizon in an up dip position and away
ASX-listed company said drilling of the 12-1/4 from the fault plane where conventional reser-
inch hole section at its Mukuyu-1 well of the voir quality is likely to be present. “
Cabora Bassa Basin has been completed and He continued: “The Mukuyu-1 well trajec-
section total depth was called at 2,021 metres tory has been designed primarily to test the
measured depth in order to set the 9-5/8 inch Pebbly Arkose and Upper Angwa targets in a
casing near the base of a substantial regional seal crestal location and to intersect the amplitude
above the primary targets. anomalies and flat spots observed within them.
“Following the completion of the first suite The presence of a thick regional shale sitting
of wireline logging, a zone of interest in the above the traps, reservoir targets and source
secondary objective in the 200 Horizon target rock reduces the key risk of seal presence and
coincident with observed seismic amplitude effectiveness for the primary targets identified
anomalies was interpreted to contain potential pre-drill. The well remains on track to be com-
hydrocarbons based on significantly elevated pleted in the previously guided timeframe.”
resistivity (two orders of magnitude above Meanwhile, in an annual report released on
baseline) across a 10- to 15-metre interval from Friday, October 21, Invictus’ chairman Stuart
approximately 785 metres measured depth and Lake said a commercial discovery of hydrocr-
separation between shallow, medium and deep bons at the permit could boost energy security
resistivity readings.” in Zimbabwe and other countries in southern
It noted that further analysis of the zone was Africa.
interpreted to have tight reservoir properties “Energy security has become a key topic
with complex mineralogy and a decision was within the current geopolitical backdrop,” he
made to forgo running the formation pressure/ said. “The Cabora Bassa project, if successful, is
sampling wireline tool without the appropriate expected to provide a reliable domestic supply,
sampling probe and packers available. which would bolster Zimbabwe’s self-sufficiency
Invictus started the drilling campaign in Sep- and drive further development of its energy-re-
tember targeting an estimated 20 trillion cubic lated infrastructure.”
feet (566.4bn cubic metres) and 845mn barrels Southern African nations produce the bulk
of conventional gas condensate across seven of their electricity from coal, with South Africa,
stacked targets. the continent’s most developed economy, hav-
“The initial results from wireline logging and ing an energy mix that is 80% dependent on the
potential for hydrocarbons is very encouraging fossil fuel. The region has also experienced a
as we prepare to drill our primary targets in the shortage since 2007, resulting in rolling outages.

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