By Moses Patience Chat
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has resumed oil exploration in Lake Chad Basin with drilling activities in Borno State. This is coming after the Company stopped the exploration process in 2017.
The flag off ceremony of the exploration process, which is currently ongoing, was conducted by President Muhammadu Buhari in Wadi-B Oil Well Drilling in Tuba Community, Jere Local Government Area.
According to officials of NNPC Energy Services Limited (ENSERV), the project is being done under NNPC Frontier Exploration Service for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The project report revealed that exploration commenced in 1976 and continued until 1996 with the processing of 33,000km of 2D Seismic data, which identified three prospective sub-basins in Gubio, Maiduguri and Baga Area.
Between 2008 and 2018, NNPC processed 1,962.20km2 of 3D Seismic data; in 2014, it suspended the Seismic Acquisition Operations due to insurgency. NNPC in July 2017 also announced the halt of the exploration activities after some workers recorded insurgency attacks.
It completed the security risk assessment to resume operations in 2022 to explore the Wadi-B well.
While explaining the process, the Executive Director (ED) of Frontier Exploration Services at NNPC, Mukhtar Zanna, said that they will be drilling 14,000 feet using ACME Rig 5 to get oil and associated gas from the Wadi-B well.
He said added that NNPC is optimistic about the process because they have read the data and also have new technology to help with the process.
While giving his remarks, the Executive Director of Exploration Services at NNPC, Aminu Maitama, said the Company believes that the location has potentials of generating oil in large commercial quantities.