The first inclined well at emerging domestic natural gas and helium producer Renergen’s Virginia gas project, in the Free State, is expected to spud late in July, and reach the primary target at the base of the Karoo sequence/top Wits formation late in August.
This is the company’s first inclined well in the project and Renergen says it “is taking steps to maximise the probability of success”.
The first inclined well drilling marks the start of the upcoming programme of inclined well development, targeting the gas productive fracture systems in the Virgina gas project production hub.
The faults and fissures in the target area are mostly subvertical, and drilling inclined wells is expected to maximise the probability of intersecting these faults and fissures as targeted at or below the base of the Karoo/top Wits interface.
The drilling challenge is to maintain the wellbore inclination to achieve this outcome.
CEO Stefano Marani says Renergen is focused on “a successful well over a fast well”.
Should the company get it right, it expects to have an easy-to-read roadmap for future drilling at Virginia and says it can get to work on quickly ramping up towards production.
The preparation of the drill pad, delivery of equipment and the applications to secure all the regulatory approvals are all progressing, albeit more slowly than would be the case were it not for the restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.