Monday, September 9, 2013

South Omo Perchance Lucky: Oil Exploration Encouraged by Hydrocarbon Indication



By Zenebe G. Tamirat

The first drilling at what is known the Sabisa-1 well in the South Omo block has been completed at a depth of 1,810. The result was not good enough but not discouraging since   hydrocarbon indications has been recorded in sands beneath a thick clay stone top seal. Sabisa-1 Well encounters instability issues that required the drilling of side track to comprehensively log and sample the zones according to Tullow’s announcement.

“The Sabisa-1 well has proved to be technically challenging as is often the case in frontier basins, and the well now requires a side track to re-drill. Nevertheless, we are encouraged by the hydrocarbon which provide emerging evidence for a working petroleum in the previously undrilled South Omo Basin.” Says Angus McCoss, Exploration Director of Tullow Oil Plc. Tullow is a British Oil Exploring Company holding a 50% interest in the venture with the Canadian counterpart Africa Oil 30% and the U.S. Marathon Oil 20%.

According to the Ethiopian Reporter (09/07/20013), Tullow has shifted its crew to the second well 4 miles away from Sabisa-1, to start a second drilling. At the nearby Kenya region of Ngamia Tullow has explored what the director referred to as the first commercial flow from the lower Lockhone reservoir. It is recalled that Tullow has discovered oil in Lake Albert basin in Uganda which has similar geological aspects with Locationregions around Lake Turkana rift basin.

The Turkana Rift Basin earlier known as Lake Rudolf Rift Basin has geological similarity with the Ethiopian regions that border Kenya. Lake Turkana starts in Ethiopia and extends south to the regions of Kenya. The explored area for gas and oil in Kenya are solely 300 miles from the first well Sabisa-1 in Ethiopia.   

South Omo is one of the most forgotten regions of Ethiopia as far economic development is concerned. It is perhaps the only region in the world that human beings are living naked. Thousands of Foreigners including multimillionaires visit the region attracted by the living condition of the various ethnic groups in the region particularly the Mursis who wear clay in their lips and also as earnings. Some of this tourists seem mad on Ethiopia because they are afraid development may change the style of life in the region. In other words they want the natives to live naked all their lives and forever. Some scholars also consider Ethiopia’s attempt to discover oil in the region as scramble for wealth belonging to the natives that they (Ethiopians) forgot for centuries.

The South Omo region is the most peaceful regions of Ethiopia with the people being proud of their Ethiopian nationality. This has been demonstrated with the natives’ continuous fight to return back the regions South of Lake Turkana, in Kenya that they claim to belong to their ancestors.

The Writer Zenebe Tamirat is available at ztamira@yahoo.com
Follow @Neguodguadzeneb




                                                      
      












                                                      

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