Ethiopia: 'No Oil Discovered' Says Ethiopia and UK Company
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle, 6 March 2013
Addis Abab - The Ethiopian government and Tullow Oil Plc, has dismissed
media reports that the UK company has discovered oil along Ethiopia's
western South Omo block.
The London-based company, which found crude oil in Kenya last year, is
searching for a possible petroleum basin in Ethiopia's South Omo valley as
extension of the oil resources from neighbouring Kenya.
Tullow, which is executing the exploration work along with the Africa Oil
Corporation and Marathon Oil Corp. began drilling its first well (Sabisa1)
last January and intends to drill two more this year.
The wells are drilled up to 2,600 meters deep and will cost the company
around 50 million dollars for each exploration well.
Tullow has so far drilled about 1,500 meters deep. No oil has been found but
the company remains very optimistic that it will eventually gain a positive
outcome.
The US-based website, Energy and Capital, and a number of news outlets last
week reported that Tullow has discovered commercial-grade oil in the rift
valley of Ethiopia near the border with Kenya.
However, the spokesperson for Ethiopia's ministry of mines, Bacha Fuji, on
Tuesday told Sudan Tribune that the reports on the websites were baseless.
He said that there had been no oil findings but added that drilling work was
progressing well.
The ministry said it was wrong and irresponsible for the media to come to
its own conclusions, while the project is only in the early stage of
exploration.
The reports are based on "unfounded suspicions" reached by the media as
Tullow has accomplished successful oil exploration activities in Ghana,
Uganda and lately in Kenya, the ministry said.
In a statement the company sent to the local newspaper, The Reporter, Tullow
said the report is misleading.
"Tullow Ethiopia wishes to clarify its position with regard to oil
exploration in South Omo zone of the Southern Nation Nationality and
Peoples' Region (SNNPR.) This follows a confusing and poorly written report
on one website in the USA which suggested in its headline that Tullow had
discovered oil in Ethiopia".
The company said that first results from the well will be announced within
the next two months.
The Kenya-Ethiopia Tertiary Rift, which stretches from southern Ethiopia to
southwestern Kenya, is believed to have as much as 23 billion barrels of oil
and gas resources.
------------[ Sent via the dehai-wn mailing list by dehai.org]--------------
Received on Wed Mar 06 2013 - 21:04:53 EST
