The West Songosongo area is between the already-producing Songosongo
gas field and the country`s coastline. Key Petroleum is also developing
a nearby field at Nyuni.
“Exploration and development work is rapidly increasing the value of
these areas which form a significant part of Key Petroleum`s
international asset portfolio,“ the company said in a statement quoted
by Reuters.
“The geological work that our team has been undertaking has provided
us with some highly prospective targets in the West Songosongo licence
area,“ said Managing Director Ken Russell.
“Although at an early stage of evaluation these results provide us
with a greater level of confidence in our Tanzanian interest,“ he
said.
About a month ago The Guardian on Sunday quoted the Managing Director
of Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, Mr. Yona Killagane,
saying he was optimistic about exploration works and that a 420,000
square-kilometre area had the potential for oil search.
Already 12 gas wells have been discovered out of 41 drilled in the country, showing good prospects of finding oil.
Leading drilling companies are in various inland and deep sea projects working round the clock, Killagane added.
After oil discoveries in Uganda Lake Albert area, many oil exploration
companies have shown interest in Tanzania`s Lake Rukwa basin through
Lake Tanganyika in the western branch of the Rift Valley.
Killagane said: “In the next two to three years, oil drilling will start after thorough exploration.
Right now tremendous success has been made in drilling for gas.
We`ve six wells in Songosongo, four at Mnazi Bay and two in Mkuranga.
We`re yet to discover oil but what I can assure you is that there are
hopeful prospects for oil.“
Norwegian Statoil Exploration Company and Brazil`s Petrobrus are among companies in the field, searching for oil.
Statoil will spend a minimum of $65m during the first phase of an 11-
year exploration period on Block II offshore Tanzania on the eastern
part of Mandawa Coastal Basin and covers an area of 11,099 square
kilometres.
SUNDAY OBSERVER
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