Sintana Energy Inc CEO Robert Bose was recently interviews about the company’s upcoming high-impact drilling campaigns.
Bose highlighted that operator Galp will kick off a four-well program targeting the Mopane complex, following earlier discoveries. The campaign, which will involve both exploration and appraisal drilling, is scheduled to begin in November.
Meanwhile, Chevron is preparing to launch its own drilling campaign in Namibia on an adjacent license, using the Deepsea Bollsta rig.
Good to have you along. I know you’ve been traveling, and you were actually in Oslo, Norway recently, talking to investors at a conference. Can you tell us more about that?
Robert Bose: Yes, we were at the Pareto Energy Conference in Oslo last week, which is Europe’s largest independent energy conference. It’s truly amazing in terms of scale and scope, with close to 2,000 attendees. It had record attendance for the second year in a row. Despite market turbulence, the conference had a constructive perspective on the oil and gas business, and Sintana had great interest from investors. We had many one-on-one meetings and a full room for our presentation. It was a tremendous opportunity to focus everyone on what’s ahead for us in the next few quarters, and we’re excited about what we see.
What message were you sending to investors about the next couple of quarters? It seems like you’re entering a busy part of the year.
That’s absolutely right. This time last year, we were talking about kicking off the first drilling campaign at PEL83, a two-well campaign. That campaign started in November, and we’ve since announced multiple light oil discoveries, high-quality sands, and fantastic reservoir parameters. One of the discoveries extended eight kilometers, and a flow test produced 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Now, we find ourselves in a similar position, with two high-impact campaigns kicking off.
The first is at PEL83, where Galp, the operator, will initiate a four-well program at the end of November. It’ll focus on the Mopane complex, where we made earlier discoveries. This program includes two exploration locations and appraisal drilling to better assess the reservoir’s quality. And, crucially, no capital is required from us.
What about the license next to PEL83? What’s happening there?
Next door, we have a partnership with Chevron Corporation. They’ve been very active, having conducted a $40 million 3D seismic survey over the block. Chevron is preparing for its first drilling campaign in Namibia, set to begin in November with the Deepsea Bollsta rig, which is already in Namibia. Like with PEL83, no capital is required from us. We’re excited about this campaign and the potential discoveries.
There seems to be a lot of activity in your region. Could you talk more about other developments nearby?
Yes, other operators are also busy. TotalEnergies is drilling an exploration well near our lease line, and companies like Rhino and BW Energy are conducting 3D seismic surveys and planning exploration drilling. It’s going to be a busy few quarters ahead, much like where we were last year.
You’re heading to the World Energy Summit soon. After attending events like the Pareto Conference, what are you seeing in terms of global interest in your work?
There’s definitely increased interest, driven by underinvestment in exploration and a lack of capital in recent years. The focus on energy security, especially for developing regions like Africa, has become more significant. Large-scale resources like ours are going to be essential, and that’s reflected in the growing interest from investors and operators globally.