White Nile Ltd announced the commencement of drilling operations with the spudding of the Kedelai exploration well in Block Ba, 200 km due north of Juba, in the Jonglei State of Southern Sudan.
Kedelai was spudded at 13.15 hrs. local time on 19 April 2007 and is being drilled to determine the hydrocarbon bearing potential of the south-eastern extension of the Muglad basin. The well will be drilled to a total depth of circa 2,400 metres (7,850 ft.) with completion targeted for mid May.
Following the interpretation of high-density 2D seismic shot in the last 12 months, the Company gained a clear understanding of the prospectivity of the Jonglei sub-basin of the Muglad Basin. A sedimentary section of up to 7 km in thickness and rift structures suitable for forming hydrocarbon traps were clearly shown, which are analogous to the producing South Sudanese Thar Jath, Mala, Heglig and Unity oilfields of the Muglad Basin to the northwest of Block Ba. In this way the geological conditions pertaining to the formation of oilfields in the Muglad Basin (Blocks 1, 2, 4 and 5A) have been extrapolated into the Jonglei sub-basin in Block Ba. Blocks 1, 2 and 5A host the known Unity, Heglig and Thar Jath oilfields that have estimated oil in place of circa 600 million, 550 million and 1 billion barrels respectively. The interpretation of the seismic data also allowed White Nile to identify numerous structures of which a number were prioritised, with the Kedelai well targeting one such structure.
