Camac to start oil drilling after initial tests

By MACHARIA KAMAU

Camac Energy, US oil and gas exploration and production firm says it has successfully carried out initial test surveys in its two onshore blocks.

The firm is currently preparing to undertake a survey on two of its blocks in offshore Lamu, which will take place in the course of this year. It also plans to fast track its exploration activities in the four blocks it is prospecting for oil.

The company operates two blocks in Mandera and another two in offshore Lamu.

“Camac successfully carried out Aero-magnetic and Gravity survey of our onshore blocks L1B and L16 in Kenya last year and we plan to carry out 2D seismic surveys on our two offshore deep water L27 and L28 blocks in 2014,” said Kase Lawal, Camac president and chief executive in a statement.

“We also plan to shoot some 2D seismic surveys on our two onshore blocks this year.” Camac also said it intends to quicken the initial tests in an effort to start test exploration following successful discovery of commercial oil deposits by UK-based Tullow Oil. Tullow Oil, a Canadian wildcat explorer, which had earlier announced five oil discoveries, made two more discoveries last week and pushed up its estimates in Turkana basin from 300 million barrels of oil to 600 million.

Camac Energy’s four oil blocks cover a total surface area of about 37,000 square kilometres. Two of the four blocks – L27 and L28 — are located in more than 3,000 metres of ultra-deep waters of the Indian Ocean in Lamu Basin.  The onshore blocks are located in the Mandera Basin. 

With more drilling being undertaken, Kenya is poised to be a major oil exporting country. Estimates indicate that Kenya may have over 3.5 billion barrels of yet-to-find (YTF) volumes.  Kenya has 46 oil exploration blocks divided into four  exploration basins. These are Lamu Basin, Anza Basin, Tertiary Rift Basin and Mandera Basin.