Tlou Energy (ASX:TOU) has started drilling the lateral well at its Karoo Central project in Botswana after it secured DWD Drilling Technologies' Buffalo rig.
Tlou has been active in Botswana for over 3 years with about $40 million having been invested by the company and the previous operator to drill and test the programs.
This investment has made the Karoo Central project as one of the most advanced CBM projects in Southern Africa.
It made a successful ASX debut in April 2013 became the first CBM operator in Botswana to achieve an independent (NSAI) contingent resource certification. It has 2.3 trillion cubic feet of 3C contingent resource.
The latest drilling campaign comprising 6 wells is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2013 with testing operations starting in the fourth quarter of this year after the wells are completed surface testing facilities are installed.
Drilling at the Selmo 1A-R well is underway with the rig currently preparing to drill a 152mm (6”) build section to land- out horizontally in the target basal Morupule Coal Seam.
The current drilling program comprises two horizontal pilot pods the Selemo and Lesedi. Each Pod has a single vertical well (Selemo 1P and Lesedi 1P) with each vertical well having two 750 m in-seam lateral wells drilled to intersect it through the targeted basal Morupule Coal Seam.
Similar drilling techniques have been successful at Queensland's prolific coal seam gas projects.
The Karoo Central and Karoo West permits are wholly owned by Tlou and comprise about 7000 square kilometres of CBM permits.
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