WINDHOEK: Nine out of 17 wells drilled offshore in search of oil and gas were found to be dry, but not negative.Mining Commissioner Immanuel Mulunga told Nampa in an interview last week that only some wells in the Kudu Gas area were found to have gas sediments, while others were considered dry but with a low content of commercial hydrocarbons and have been abandoned.

Out of the 17 wells drilled offshore, eight are in the Kudu Gas area, an offshore gas field approximately 170 kilometres north-west of Oranjemund. It is located in the Orange Sub-basin about 170 metres below the surface of the sea.

“Whether we discover oil and gas this year or not, what Namibia has done is to attract a critical mass of exploration companies in the country. The momentum we have now should take us to the discovery of oil and gas,” Mulunga said.

The exploration of oil and gas is an expensive exercise and takes long, and the mining commissioner thus called on the Namibian nation to be patient as it can take years to discover both.

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with this agency Mulunga announced that Government will stop issuing oil and gas exploration licences towards the end of this year as there are no longer opportune areas left for exploration in the country.