Shell has announced a significant oil discovery in the Enigma-1X well, marking the sixth successful well in Namibia’s PEL.39 license in the Orange Basin.
The exploration efforts, conducted using the semi-submersible rig Deepsea Bollsta since February 27, 2024, have yielded promising results. Enigma-1X is situated 15 kilometers south-southeast of Shell’s Jonker-2A appraisal well.
This discovery is part of Shell’s second multi-well exploration and appraisal campaign initiated in December 2022.
It follows the successful Graff-1 discovery, which opened the basin in February 2022 and attracted attention from major players like TotalEnergies and Galp Energia.
While Shell’s discoveries in the Graff and Jonker accumulations are significant, they are smaller in scale compared to TOTAL’s Venus discovery, which holds over 2 billion barrels of oil.
Despite this, Shell’s focus on Jonker suggests plans for a cluster development strategy rather than individual accumulations.
Ongoing data evaluation will determine the commercial potential of the Enigma-1 discovery, further enhancing Namibia’s stature as a promising hydrocarbon hotspot in Southern Africa.
