VAALCO spuds Kindele-1 well offshore Angola

HOUSTON -- VAALCO Energy spudded the post-salt Kindele-1 well, its first exploration well on Block 5 offshore Angola, on March 02.

VAALCO had contracted the Transocean Celtic Sea semisubmersible to drill the Kindele-1 well to a planned total depth of 2,250 m in a water depth of approximately 100 m.

Steve Guidry, Chairman and CEO of VAALCO, commented, "After nearly nine years of continued commitment to our Block 5 license, we are embarking on an important phase in our efforts to explore for hydrocarbons from a second West African country. We continue to believe that Block 5 is within an area with potential in both post and pre-salt formations including the syn-rift and sag play."

The Kindele-1 well will test a fault block adjacent to the Mubafo discovery, which tested oil from the Mucanzo sand section within the Pinda group formations.

The Kindele-1 will be drilled to a depth of 1,800 m to evaluate the Mucanzo sand section. The well will then be deepened to the salt to an estimated depth of 2,250 m for geologic and geophysical correlation. The well is expected to take approximately six weeks to drill to total depth.

Additionally, the company is nearing finalization of the seismic processing in the outboard portion of Block 5. The seismic processing is being performed to image pre-salt structures as potential targets for future exploration wells on Block 5.