Islamabad: The drilling work at the Kekra-1 deep sea well has resumed and entered its final phase, a news source reported. The deep-sea exploration project for oil and gas reserves – for which this drilling exercise forms a core operational aspect – is a joint venture between ExxonMobil, the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, and Pakistan Petroleum Limited.
As per the source, the engineers employed at the site have reached a depth of 5,148 metres in this last project phase. According to senior project officials, the required depth of 5,460 metres will be reached within a few days’ time.
Once this point has been reached, the operators will attempt wire logging, followed by casing and cementing exercises, to attain some reliable information on the prospects of oil discovery at the location. The earth specimens collected from the depth of nearly 5,500 metres will then be sent to Italy for further examination. This measure, in turn, will determine whether any traces of oil and gas are to be found.
The drilling operation was launched on January 13, 2019. Earlier, it was slated for completion by the end of April; with the deadline now having been pushed to the second week of May. Throughout its short tenure, the project has faced several unforeseen delays due to technical reasons.
