TotalEnergies Spuds Venus Well Offshore Namibia

French energy giant TotalEnergies has spudded the ultra-deepwater Venus-1X exploration well offshore Namibia.

TotalEnergies is drilling the Venus-1X well using the Maersk Drilling-owned drillship Maersk Voyager. The rig started its journey from Luanda, Angola, to Namibia’s offshore in mid-November.

The Venus-1X exploration well is set in Petroleum Exploration Licence 56 – Block 2913B. TotalEnergies is the operator of the block with a 40 percent interest.

Its partners in the block are Impact Oil and Gas with a 20 percent interest, QatarEnergy with a 30 percent interest, and the Namibian state oil company NAMCOR holds a 10 percent interest.

Privateer exploration firm Impact Oil and Gas said in its announcement that the Venus-1X well was spud on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. According to the company, the well is being drilled in 9,840 feet water depth by the Maersk Voyager drillship.

The well is targeting a large basin floor fan system with significant undiscovered petroleum initially in place that has been identified using 3D seismic data.

“This is an exciting moment for Impact and our shareholders. Impact, together with our partners in the Government of Namibia, has been working to mature and drill the Venus prospect since 2014. Venus-1X is a world-class, basin opening well which, if successful, could be transformative for Namibia,” Siraj Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of Impact, said.

As for Petroleum Exploration License 56 and the 2913B Block, it is offshore southern Namibia and covers more than 2 million acres.

To contact the author, email bojan.lepic@rigzone.com