Drilling water in the Baho-dhamal village, Sallahley area, Somaliland, rig hits a near-surface oil vein
A rig drilling water at a location where water was more valuable than any oil or mineral ores struck a vein of another type at approximately 340m.
Hoses released a dark, oozy substance which was not like the water that area residents were eagerly waiting for.
Bahodhamal village lies 8 km from Sallahley, which is about 70 km south of the capital city of Somaliland.
Containers that were ready to receive water had to be used for hosting another type.
Abdullahi Farah Abdi Minister of Energy and Minerals did not confirm that the oil found at the site was oil as it was bandied.
According to the Minister, the discovery was made three weeks ago. The drilling rig brought the substance to the surface but it was not immediately reported to the ministry.
Instead, they continued to drill downwards, passing what is believed to have been an isolated vein that led to a large oil deposit.
Minister Abdullahi said Thursday that “sand, silt, and more debris accumulated over the original amount that poured out” and that experts and lab technicians had to dig through the remains to find the original traces.
He stated that three strong traces pointed to an oil strike were found in the samples.
Minister said that this discovery was yet another proof of the rich oil and mineral resources that remain untapped beneath.
The Genel-Somaliland partnership is likely to make it big if the supposition proves true.
Genel technical director Mike Adams stated that Somaliland was a promising and unexplored area with compelling technical reasons for drilling a well. “Oil seeps are a sign of a functioning petroleum system. One prospect could target more than half a million barrels from multiple stacked reservoirs.
This new discovery is located in an oil interest area Genel Energy calls the Odwayne Block.
Genel received an exploration license for the onshore blocks SL-10B and SL-13 in Somaliland in August 2012. Genel expanded its presence with the acquisition of 50% of the Odwayne Production Sharing Agreement, which covers blocks SL-6 to SL-7 and SL-10A.
CPC Corp of Taiwan and Genel Energy PLC signed an agreement in December 2021 to secure a 49% working interest in the SL10B13 block of Somaliland.
OPIC Somaliland Corp, (OSC), would explore the oilfield. All capital investment by OPIC would be made from CPC, according to the Taiwanese firm.
Genel stated that the block is full of potential. Genel identified multiple prospects in the block with over 5 billion barrels of potential resources in a 2D seismic data acquisition. This was completed in January 2018.
According to the statement, the field partners would collaborate to plan exploration drilling with the objective to drill a well by 2023.
Now, preparations were underway for drilling a well on the highly-promising SL10B13 block. The accidental discovery of the Bahodhamal strike may have helped us to determine where we are.
According to Taipei Times, a well can be drilled at a cost of approximately US$ 40 million.
