Orange Basin success for Rhino Resources
Rhino Resources Ltd has confirmed strong gas-condensate flow rates and reservoir connectivity at its Volans-1X discovery offshore Namibia after completing a successful drill stem test programme on Block 2914A in the Orange Basin.
The company said testing at the Volans-1X well delivered 33 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of gas, alongside about 5,300 barrels of condensate per day, on a 46/64 choke, confirming high deliverability and liquids-rich hydrocarbons in an excellent-quality reservoir.
The condensate-gas ratio averaged about 160 stock tank barrels per million standard cubic feet, indicating a rich gas-condensate system.
Volans-1X lies within Petroleum Exploration Licence 85 (PEL 85), operated by Rhino Resources Namibia with a 42.5% working interest.
The joint venture partners are Azule Energy (42.5%), NAMCOR (10%), and Korres Investments (5%).
The well was spudded on 31 July 2025 using Northern Ocean’s Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig and reached a total depth of 4,497.5 metres TVDSS on 30 August 2025. Partners declared Volans-1X a high liquid-yield gas-condensate discovery on 1 October 2025 after the well successfully penetrated the Upper Cretaceous target reservoir.
Well testing was conducted between 5 and 13 January 2026, with the reservoir perforated across 29.7 metres of the target interval.
In addition to strong flow rates, Rhino said the fluids showed low contaminant levels, with carbon dioxide at 1–2% and hydrogen sulphide averaging around 3 ppm, peaking at 5 ppm across more than 200 samples.
Rhino chief executive officer Travis Smithard said the results confirmed the geological continuity of the reservoir and strengthened confidence in the broader development potential of the acreage.
“These well test results validate our pre-drill optimism around Volans, with the flow data suggesting that the Volans-1X well was drilled in a geologically contiguous reservoir system, which is very encouraging for our ongoing development planning,” Smithard said. He added that the results also provide useful calibration with the nearby Capricornus discovery, helping to de-risk Volans and improve understanding of reservoir distribution across the block.
The successful test results are expected to play a key role in shaping appraisal and development planning in PEL 85 as Rhino and its partners assess next steps toward potential commercialisation in Namibia’s rapidly emerging Orange Basin gas and condensate province.
