Written By John Mutiso 📝
Mlima-1, the well in Kenya’s Lamu Oil Basin that was recently hailed as the country’s first offshore oil strike, is commercially unviable.
According to the results of the exploration disclosed by Italian energy giant Eni, the well proved nonviable and was to be “plugged” and “abandoned” after it failed to strike commercial oil reserves.
According to geological and seismic assessments, between 4 billion and 4.5 billion barrels of oil could be laying deep beneath the Indian Ocean’s surface.
Early data indicated the presence of oil deposits in the area, referred to as a “active petroleum system” in technical terms.
Eni’s well lies around 170 kilometers from the coast, beneath the ocean floor, where Eni company has been prospecting and drilling for oil.
Since late December 2021, Eni’s drillship, SAIPEM 12000, has been on location within Block L11B.
The basin is located within Somalia’s disputed territory, which has resulted in a diplomatic spat between the two countries.
The well in the Lamu Basin was generally expected to give Kenya a second opportunity at becoming an oil producer, ten years after Tullow Oil discovered Kenya’s first oil in Turkana County’s South Lokichar sub-basin, which is yet to be commercialized.
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