KEY POINTS
- Chevron plans to drill the Nabba-1X exploration well in Namibia’s Orange Basin in late 2026 despite an earlier unsuccessful attempt.
- Rhino Resources will soon begin appraisal drilling at the Capricornus discovery following positive results at Volans.
- Shell is currently the only active driller offshore Namibia, while future exploration in the Walvis Basin could resume by 2027.
Chevron is advancing its offshore Namibia strategy with plans to drill a new exploration well in Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 90. The move follows the company’s earlier attempt at the Kapana-1X well in January 2025, which did not yield commercial results.
After analysing seismic surveys and well data, Chevron is now preparing to spud the Nabba-1X well in late 2026, signalling renewed confidence in the hydrocarbon potential of Namibia’s Orange Basin.
Rhino Resources is accelerating its appraisal programme after recording encouraging results from its Volans discovery earlier this year.
The company has now committed to drilling the Capricornus-1A appraisal well in PEL 85, aimed at further defining the size and viability of the Capricornus discovery.
The drilling campaign, expected to commence in the coming weeks, is backed by a rig contract that includes one confirmed well and optional extensions.
Shell Leads Current Activity as Namibia Eyes New Frontiers
At present, Shell remains the only operator actively drilling offshore Namibia, using the Deepsea Mira rig to appraise the Merlin-1X well in PEL 39.
Looking ahead, Namibia’s upstream regulator has revealed that Chevron is also reprocessing 3D seismic data in PEL 82 within the Walvis Basin. This could lead to a new exploration well in 2027, potentially the first wildcat drilling in the basin in nearly ten years.
