Dodsal Hydrocarbons and Power Tanzania, the company prospecting for oil and natural gas at Ruvu Block has announced plans to a drill stem test at the exploration area in order to observe the feasibility of the discovery following the submission of a work plan to the government.

The Minister for Energy and Minerals, Sospeter Muhongo (photo), recently announced that the company found 2.17 tcf of gas at the block. Dodsal estimates the reserve to be worth $6 billion dollars.

“So far the company has drilled one well at Mambambakofi- 1 at the block which has been discovered with 2.17 tcf. In total, the company drilled three wells in Ruvu Block but two of them have not showed positive results. Initial tests such as ‘wire-line logging’ as well as ‘pressure versus depth’ and laboratory tests have been conducted and proved the presence of a gas reservoir at the block,” Kelvin Komba the Director of Upstream Operations in the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) said.

He added that the new Petroleum Act which was created in September 2015 warrants that the contractor at an exploration block present to the government an appraisal programme after which it will be allowed to drill more wells to perform drill stem tests. Through this new law, it is mandatory for a contractor to notify the government of any discovery within two days.

According to Daily News Tanzania, the new discovery by the company at the Ruvu Block sums up all discovered natural gas reserves to 57.27 tcf in both the offshore and onshore wells.

Anita Fatunji