Shell and partners discover oil at Graff-1 in deepwater Namibia

Shell, QatarEnergy and NAMCOR have discovered oil in the Graff-1 deepwater exploration well in the Orange Basin, offshore Namibia. The Shell-operated well was drilled to a total depth of 5,376 m, in water depths of approximately 2,000 m, in the PEL-39 license area. Drilling operations began in early December 2021 and were safely completed in early February 2022.

NAMCOR said in a statement that the partners will perform extensive laboratory analyses to gain a better understanding of the reservoir quality and potential flow rates. “While we can learn a great deal from the results of Graff-1, we anticipate that further exploration activity, including a second exploration well, will be required to determine the size and recoverable potential of the identified hydrocarbons.”

“We hope that this discovery puts to rest doubts about the hydrocarbon potential of Namibia and opens a new dawn in the country’s future prosperity,” said Immanuel Mulunga, NAMCOR Managing Director.