Tullow Oil is set launch drilling activities on its concession in the South Omo region of Ethiopia. The international gas and oil 
exploration company expects to begin drilling in January of 2013 according to a senior official with the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines.
Tullow Oil had informed Ethiopian officials of oil reserves potentially larger then discovered in Uganda or Kenya while the company was finalizing its Full Tensor Gradimametric Gravity Survey and collecting seisimic Data.
The company’s management has assured Ethiopian authorities of oil discoveries within a year although officials have been reluctant to raise expectations amongst the public with more evidence it was said.
Tullow has officially announced that it would begin drilling in the coming January after a delay of three months from its original plan.The ministry hopes for positive results from the drilling activity said Sinkinesh Ejegu, State Minister for Mines.
It is to be remembered Tullow signed an agreement with the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines for the exploration of the South Omo Block through the Canadian based Africa Oil plc. The company acquired concession rights for 50% of the block in 2010 and has since managed to extend it to 65%.
Tullow has concession rights in 23 countries across the world including in Uganda, Ghana and Kenya in Africa. The company has been able to strike gold in Kenya and Uganda with the reserves in Kenya estimated to be about 1.1 billion barrels of oil.
Source: Fortune
