Kudu drilling awaits go-ahead
Four wells planned for Namibia’s huge gas development
BW Kudu has applied for environmental clearance to do appraisal drilling.
The final Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report for an application to drill appraisal wells in offshore Block 2814A has been completed and submitted by BW Kudu, a subsidiary of BW Energy, and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR).This area falls under Petroleum Production Licence (PPL) 003. The report was finalised and submitted at the end of April. A decision on whether Namibia’s largest-ever natural gas development may proceed is expected soon, possibly within three months of submission, if it has not already been communicated.
Block 2814A spans approximately 4,568 km² and lies 85 km offshore in water depths of between 150 m and 750 m. As the operator, BW Kudu has applied to undertake appraisal activities, including seabed sampling and the drilling of up to four appraisal wells. These operations would involve Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP), well testing, and the plugging and abandonment or suspension of wells.
The proposed project requires an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC), and SLR Environmental Consulting (Namibia) was appointed by BW Kudu to manage the application and assessment process. Drilling each well is expected to take up to 100 days in total, including: mobilisation (5 days), drilling (70 days), well testing (optional, 15 days), abandonment (5 days per well), and demobilisation (up to 5 days). Drilling is anticipated to commence in the third quarter of 2025, although the exact date remains unconfirmed.
What’s next
The ESIA outlines that two wells may be drilled in the first year, and two in the second. Either a drillship or a semi-submersible drill rig will be used, supported by three standby vessels for transporting equipment and materials between the drilling site and the onshore base. If hydrocarbons are discovered, well testing and drill stem tests may be performed.
The preferred location for the logistics base is Walvis Bay or the Port of Lüderitz. The base will include office space, a laydown area, mud plant support facilities, and a helicopter base—likely Lüderitz or, alternatively, Oranjemund.
Final site selection for drilling will depend on a detailed analysis of seismic and pre-drilling survey data, as well as geological targeting. A Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) will assist in determining the exact well locations, ensuring the avoidance of seafloor obstacles or environmentally sensitive features.
Drilling begins by boring a hole into the seabed with a rotating drill bit attached to a drill string, which pulverises rock into small particles called “cuttings”. Steel casing is inserted and cemented in place to stabilise the well. The diameter of the borehole reduces with increasing depth and drilling occurs in two main stages: riserless and risered.
The initial 42” hole is drilled to about 75 metres, followed by the installation of a conductor pipe and a low-pressure wellhead. The hole is then extended to 625 metres with a 26” diameter bore. This phase uses seawater, viscous sweeps, and water-based muds (WBMs), with all cuttings and fluids discharged on the seabed.
In the risered phase, a Blowout Preventer (BOP) is installed on the wellhead, followed by a marine riser, creating a closed-loop system that isolates the drill fluid. Drilling continues through the BOP and riser system.
Evaluation and testing
Once target depth is reached, the well will be logged and potentially tested. Well logging evaluates the physical and chemical properties of subsurface rock and fluid content. VSP generates high-resolution seismic images around the well using airguns operated from the rig and downhole receivers. One VSP operation is planned per well and may take up to nine hours.
If hydrocarbons are discovered, flow testing may follow. A standard flow test takes about three days, including flaring during clean-up (1 day) and the main test (2 days). During testing, hydrocarbons are burned at the well site. If water is present, it will be separated, treated onboard to reduce hydrocarbon content, and then discharged overboard or transported onshore for further treatment and disposal (estimated at 300 m³).
After drilling and logging, the wells will be sealed with cement plugs, tested for integrity, and abandoned following international best practices. A final clearance survey will be conducted using an ROV before the drilling unit and support vessels are demobilised from the site.