Helium One Global plc has restarted drilling Tai-3 well after a rig component failure halted operations earlier this month on the Rukwa licence in southeast Tanzania.
ITUMBULA-C
The company sourced and installed a replacement part and yesterday began drilling ahead through the primary reservoir targets in the Lake Bed formation, Karoo Group and Basement.
The wireline tools have been fully tested and are ready to run in the hole once 1,100 total measured depth is reached.
Civils work also continue for the second well in the drilling campaign on the Itumbula-C well pad and access road. The well is on course to spud before the wet season.
“Recent soil gas surveys over the Itumbula prospect have yielded helium concentrations above background levels which correlate well to the surface helium anomalies identified from the 2022 multispectral satellite spectroscopy seep study,” added the company.
Helium One has also successfully performed an emergency medical evacuation drill from the Tai-3 well site, using a helicopter and on-site medical team specialised in trauma care.
The site has 24-hour medical cover with a doctor, paramedic, ambulance, a specialist clinic and a purpose-built helipad.
Chief executive officer Lorna Blaisse added the company remained resilient and continued to address any hurdles encountered.
“The wider Helium One team, both at the rig site and elsewhere, have pushed exceptionally hard over the past week to troubleshoot the issue, source a replacement part from the USA, reinstall and repair the rig and I am pleased that we are now back on track in an extremely short period of time.
“We very much look forward to drilling ahead into our target reservoirs at Tai-3 over the coming days and to evaluate the well, prior to rigging down and moving the rig to our next location at Itumbula.”