2merkato

The Ethiopian Ministry of Mines is in the process of facilitating visas for the Tullow drilling crew that will oversee the launch of drilling processes by the company in January. The crew is expected to be composed of 20 primarily Polish experts.

Tullow is preparing to launch drilling activity on its concession in the Southern Omo Valley according to its tentative program said Sinkensh Ejigu, State Minister for Mines.

The schedule set for drilling may be changed if the visa processes prove to take longer than expected she said.

Tullow Oil, a multinational gas and oil exploration company headquartered in London, said it has found indications of the existence of oil with its concessions in the South Omo Basin, Southern Regional State of Ethiopia.

The company, in joint venture with Africa Oil (30pc) and Marathon Oil (20pc), began drilling a well in its Sabisa-1 bloc last January, 2013.

Tullow Oil disclosed it has started talks with the Ethiopian government to extend its exploration license.

Tullow Oil, the British oil company exploring for oil in the South Omo basin, decided to move its staff as well as equipments out of Ethiopia.

Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) announces that the Tultule-1 wildcat well in the South Omo block onshore Ethiopia, has reached a total depth of 2,101 metres and will be plugged and abandoned as a dry hole.

The well was targeting a reservoir section similar to the sands drilled in the nearby Sabisa-1 well where oil shows were encountered but these sands were not penetrated in Tultule-1. Gas shows were however recorded which reaffirm the presence of a hydrocarbon source in the region.