Hardman Resources Limited announced that the rig completed repairs and drilled the well to total depth
of 1,186 metres. The well encountered oil shows over two intervals within a deep objective and as of midnight on 16 January oil samples have been recovered from the upper interval, a sand of approximately 10 metres gross thickness at 965 metres. The sampling and pressure testing programme is continuing.
Upon completion of the Mputa-1 exploration well operations, the rig will move to the Waraga-1 location approximately 19 kilometres to the north-east of Mputa-1.
Mputa-1 targeted a structural prospect defined by the 2005 seismic survey with potential multiple
objectives and in an area with surface oil seeps. The results of Mputa-1 provide confirmation of a
working hydrocarbon system and considerable support for further evaluation of both this discovery and
the surrounding area where a number of other good prospects and leads have been identified. In this
wildcat well the reservoir sands were poorer than expected for some of the objective levels but there is
significant encouragement that the well and seismic data can provide a better understanding of
reservoir sand distribution and considerably reduce the risk of other prospects. Further work will be
required before any comment can be made on the size or commercial significance of this discovery and
the potential for future resource in the area.
The well location is 220 kilometres north-west of the capital Kampala and onshore 8 kilometres from Lake Albert. The location is 60 kilometres south-west of the Butiaba Waki-1 well (drilled in 1938) and 87 kilometres north-east of the Turaco exploration wells drilled by Heritage in 2002-2004.
Hardman’s CEO Mr Simon Potter commented:
“This is a very encouraging result – even though there is still significant uncertainty about the size of
Mputa and whether it has commercial potential, this well has confirmed the existence of a working
petroleum system. It has been an important step in reducing exploration risk in the basin and we are
looking forward to Waraga-1, the next well in the programme.”
