From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Seplat Energy Plc has announced a significant oil and gas discovery in Imo State, with preliminary evaluations indicating approximately 19 million barrels of oil and 157 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas in place.
The discovery was made at the company’s Aku-01 exploration well in Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL) 2A25 in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria.
Seplat disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Owerri over the weekend, describing the discovery as an unexpected boost to its onshore exploration portfolio, as it was not part of the company’s original exploration programme.
According to the company, the preliminary assessment identified the hydrocarbons across five reservoir intervals, underscoring the potential of the licence area.
Seplat said the successful drilling of the Aku-01 well had also significantly de-risked four adjacent exploration prospects within the same licence area, opening up further opportunities for resource growth.
As part of its exploration strategy, the company disclosed plans to drill a second exploration well in 2027 to evaluate one of the newly de-risked prospects.
It further revealed that the Aku-01 well was being completed as a potential future production well, with plans to connect it to existing infrastructure to facilitate early commercialisation of the discovered hydrocarbons.
However, the company noted that the proposed development and commercialisation would be subject to further technical assessments and necessary regulatory approvals.
