Swala offered Block 44 hydrocarbon exploration rights in Zambia

Australian oil and gas firm Swala Energy has been offered hydrocarbon exploration rights in Block 44 in Zambia by the Ministry of Energy.

Located in the southern part of Zambia, Block 44 covers an area of 6,000km² on the margins of the Karoo-aged Kariba basin.

Swala said that gravity and seismic data suggest that the basin has a thick sequence of Karoo-aged sediments.

Mobil explored the basin in the late 1980s and acquired a large volume of 2D seismic data but did not drill any wells during the period.

Swala aims to reprocess and reinterpret the legacy seismic data as part of its work programme during the first contract year.

The provisions of the award allows Swala to withdraw after each of the first two years of the contract if the work conducted on the block does not confirm the basin’s prospectivity.

Swala Energy CEO David Mestres Ridge said that the offer expands the company’s asset portfolio into a fiscally stable, potential hydrocarbon region with large energy demand.

"We have been active in Zambia since late 2011 and regard this award as an expression of confidence in Swala’s technical and financial capabilities," Ridge added.

"Our Lusaka office has worked tirelessly to secure this first entry licence into Zambia and we now await with interest the outcome of the licencing round in respect of Block 31."

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Image: Location of Block 44 over free-air gravity map. Photo: courtesy of Swala Energy.