Tullow finds gas in Uganda, size unknown

KAMPALA – UK-based Tullow Oil has found a natural gas field in one of its exploration blocks in western Uganda, but its size is unknown, a Ugandan government energy official said on Friday.

The company has interests in three concessions in the Albertine Basin spanning Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo, two of them shared with Heritage Oil . It is now testing results from a well drilled to 1 000 metres.”They were testing for oil but they found gas,” Honey Malinga, energy commissioner for geophysics, told Reuters, adding that it was flowing at 14 million cubic feet per day.”It’s a good flow rate but they are going to have to do studies to determine the extent.It’s premature to say this is commercial,” he said.Tullow officials were not immediately available for comment on Friday, but a trading statement posted on their Web site this week said the company had found gas at 800 metres and was looking at using it as an energy input for oil production.Tullow, which has drilled five of its own wells and a further one in partnership with Heritage, said on Thursday it had acquired a rig for drilling to seven kilometres.The firm has been buoyed by successes in West Africa, where it said last month it had found up to 600 million barrels of high quality oil in Ghana.Officials say seismic data suggests the Albertine Basin deposits may be bigger than that.Nampa-ReutersIt is now testing results from a well drilled to 1 000 metres.”They were testing for oil but they found gas,” Honey Malinga, energy commissioner for geophysics, told Reuters, adding that it was flowing at 14 million cubic feet per day.”It’s a good flow rate but they are going to have to do studies to determine the extent.It’s premature to say this is commercial,” he said.Tullow officials were not immediately available for comment on Friday, but a trading statement posted on their Web site this week said the company had found gas at 800 metres and was looking at using it as an energy input for oil production.Tullow, which has drilled five of its own wells and a further one in partnership with Heritage, said on Thursday it had acquired a rig for drilling to seven kilometres.The firm has been buoyed by successes in West Africa, where it said last month it had found up to 600 million barrels of high quality oil in Ghana.Officials say seismic data suggests the Albertine Basin deposits may be bigger than that.Nampa-Reuters