Addis Ababa, 27 My 2006 - The oil exploration well drilled in the Gambella region in, west Ethiopia has turned out dry, it was learnt.

The Chinese Petroleum Company, Zhougyan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB), which has been contracted by the Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas, has been prospecting for crude oil in the Gambella basin for the past two years. Petronas, one of the top ten leading international oil companies in the global oil industry, signed a petroleum exploration and development agreement with the Ethiopian government in June 2003 that enabled it to explore the Gambella basin, near the Sudanese border.

In 2004 and 2005 ZPEB conducted seismic surveys in the Gambella basin and sent the seismic data to the headquarter of Petronas in Kuala Lampur. After interpreting and analyzing the seismic data, experts of Petronas identified the place where the first exploration well should be drilled. Last March, ZPEB started drilling the exploration well.

Petroleum experts of ZPEB recently finalized the drilling work on the first exportation well, which is 3500 meters deep. After conducting a well test to ascertain if there was oil in the area, the experts concluded that there was no oil show (oil inflow) in the well.

The well was drilled in a locality called Chikaw, 175 kms east of the Ethio-Sudan boarder and 85 kms from the Gambella town, the regional capital of the Gabmella regional state. The Gambella basin lies on 19600 sq kms of land. The Gabmella basin is an extension of the Melut basin found in South Sudan. In 1981-82, Chevron, the American oil company drilled four exploration wells in the Melut basin. Experts of Chevron noted oil shows in the two wells and the other two wells were dry. In 1983 Cheveron conducted an airomag survey (magnetic and gravity survey) on the Gambella basin. The aerial survey undertaken by Chevron indicated that the Gambella basin had similar structure with the Melut basin, which demonstrated a 50 percent success rate. Based on the findings of the airomag survey experts of Chevron said that the Gambella basin was oil prospective.

Senior officials of the Ministry of Mines and Energy told The Reporter that one can not conclude that there was no oil reserve in the area just by looking at the well testing conducted on only one well. "We drilled only one will in the region and you can not arrive at a conclusion with a single well. More exploration wells should be drilled to know more about the petroleum potential in the basin," the officials said. The Gambella basin is one of the five sedimentary basins found in Ethiopia.

According to the officials, ZPEB will undertake another seismic survey in the Gambella basin. "When you find out that the first will is dry it does not necessarily mean that there is no oil reserve in the region. After studying the geological formation in the first well and conducting a new seismic survey in the area, the experts will identify where to drill an additional exploration well," the officials said.

Because of the rainy season experts of ZPEB have interrupted their exploration activity in the Gambella region. The experts. will resume their work in the dry season.

By Kaleyesus Bekele

Source: Ethiopian Reporter