Botala Energy Ltd. has received encouraging results from its Pitse pilot well in Botswana, with the latest drilling results confirming thicker, cleaner, and highly permeable coal seams.
Open-hole wireline logging at the Pitse Pilot well 3.5B revealed 13 metres of net Serowe coal. The result is 30 per cent thicker than pre-drill estimates of 10 metres, significantly expanding the resource footprint.
Logging also confirmed a further 10 metres of net coal within the deeper Upper Morupule seam, bringing the combined target thickness to 23 metres.
The primary Serowe target contains a continuous 11-metre column of clean coal entirely free of mudstone, internal breaks, or rock interbedding. The bright vitrinite character and extensive borehole enlargement confirms a naturally fractured, well-cleated reservoir, a strong indicator of deliverable permeability.
Botala Energy CEO Kris Martinick said: “Well 3.5B has not simply confirmed the presence of coal. It has confirmed a thicker, cleaner and more laterally consistent coal system with the reservoir quality indicators required to support Botala’s pathway toward commercial gas production.
“The logs have confirmed 13 metres of high-quality coal, with a continuous 11-metre column showing clear evidence of the natural cleat development required for permeability in a CBM reservoir.
“Importantly, these results are consistent with the surrounding Pitse Pilot wells. That lateral continuity is exactly what we want to see as we move toward a repeatable development model.”
Data from the surrounding support wells indicates the broader reservoir is already responding well to depressurisation. Dewatering wells 3.1 and 3.3 are already experiencing natural gas build-up, while well 3.4A is delivering robust water flows of 45 barrels per day, proving excellent natural reservoir permeability.
Botala expects the cluster of dewatering wells to reach their critical gas desorption thresholds within the next six to eight weeks.
The breakthrough brings the explorer closer to its pilot production goals, which aim to anchor a future 3.5 petajoule-per-year LNG facility to supply energy security to Southern Africa.
The Serowe project in central Botswana is designed to develop a domestic source of natural gas to support power generation, industrial energy demand and LNG supply for Southern Africa.
The project is 100 per cent owned by Botala through its wholly owned Botswana subsidiary, Botala Gas (Pty) Ltd.
