29
July 2024
Helium One Global Ltd
("Helium
One" or "the Company")
Itumbula West-1 Commencement of
Operations
Helium One Global (AIM: HE1), the primary
helium explorer in Tanzania, is pleased to announce that operations
at the Itumbula West-1 ("ITW-1") well commenced on 26 July
2024.
Highlights
·
Drilling operations have commenced at ITW-1 ahead of the
planned extended well test ("EWT")
·
Plan to test two intervals: the fractured Basement and
faulted Karoo, following the successful flow of 4.7% helium to
surface during the drill stem test ("DST") in February
2024
·
Prior to undertaking the EWT, the well will be deepened
further into the Basement
·
Geolog undertaking mudlogging and testing whilst drilling to
monitor helium gas shows, with above background indications of
helium and hydrogen already observed whilst drilling out the
9⅝" shoe and re-entering the original
wellbore
·
Portable mass spectrometer and field
pressure-volume-temperature specialist on site to measure and
validate helium gas shows as well as downhole samples from
EWT
·
Global technology company, SLB (formerly Schlumberger)
contracted and onsite for fluid services with surface well testing
equipment currently on route to operating location
·
Phase III operations from spud to completion of EWT is
anticipated to take approximately five weeks
Lorna Blaisse,
Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"We are very
pleased to have commenced our Phase III operations and eagerly
anticipate the results of the EWT at ITW-1. The results from the
DST in February 2024, whereby the well successfully flowed 4.7%
helium and 2.2% hydrogen, to surface from fractured basement, were
very encouraging and we look forward to now fully evaluating this
play. The team have been working on the subsurface modelling ahead
of the EWT and the results will be integrated into the feasibility
study.
We look
forward to making further announcements in due course as we deepen
the well and commence the all-important testing phase of the
fault-fracture helium play.
We're very
pleased to be leading this flagship helium well test in Tanzania
and would very much like to thank the Ministry of Minerals, the
Mining Commission and the University of Dar es Salaam for their
recognition and support of the project. We would also like to thank
our local communities and regional Government for their continued
co-operation in the work we are doing in southern
Rukwa."
Background and
further information
The ITW-1 well operations were
successfully commenced on 26 July 2024. The Company has drilled out
the 9⅝" shoe track
and is currently entering the original 8½" hole, following which the Company
will be drilling ahead to deepen the well further into the Basement
prior to the EWT. Upon drilling out the 9⅝" shoe track and re-entering the
original wellbore, the Company observed above background levels of
helium and hydrogen flowing to surface.
Following the success of the ITW-1
drill stem test in February 2024, where 4.7% helium and 2.2%
hydrogen flowed to surface from the fractured Basement, the Company
is preparing to test two intervals. These will be the fractured
Basement interval in the deepest section of the well, as well as
the faulted Karoo section. After drilling, slotted casing will be
run and cemented followed by the installation of a completion
string prior to the commencement of the EWT. If the EWT is
successful, the well will be suspended as a future
producer.
During the testing phase, helium and
hydrogen gas measurements will be monitored, along with flow rates,
pressure and reservoir performance. The Company has the ability to
collect and measure gas samples onsite and will be able to verify
gas composition in real-time. The results from the EWT will be
integrated into a detailed subsurface dynamic model, which will be
used to determine resource estimates and formulate part of a wider
feasibility study.
The whole process from spud to
completion of extended well testing across the two zones is
expected to take approximately five weeks.
The Company will make further
announcements as and when appropriate.
For further information please visit the Company's
website: www.helium-one.com
Contact
Helium One Global
Ltd
Lorna Blaisse, CEO
Graham Jacobs, Finance and Commercial Director
|
+44 20 7920 3150
|
|
|
Panmure
Liberum Limited (Nominated
Adviser and Joint Broker)
Scott Mathieson
Nikhil Varghese
|
+44 20 3100 2000
|
|
|
Zeus Capital Limited
(Joint Broker)
Simon Johnson
Louisa Waddell
|
+44 20 3829 5000
|
|
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Tavistock
(Financial PR)
Nick Elwes
Tara Vivian-Neal
|
+44 20 7920 3150
|
Notes to Editors
Helium One Global, the AIM-listed
Tanzanian explorer, holds prospecting licences across three
distinct project areas, with the potential to become a strategic
player in resolving a supply-constrained helium market.
The Rukwa, Balangida, and Eyasi
projects are located within rift basins on the margin of the
Tanzanian Craton in the north and southwest of the country. The
assets lie near surface seeps with helium concentrations ranging up
to 10.6% helium by volume. All Helium One's licences are held on a
100% equity basis.
The Company's flagship southern
Rukwa Project is located within the Rukwa Rift Basin covering
1,900km2 in south-west Tanzania. This project is
considered to be entering an appraisal stage following the success
of the 2023/24 drilling campaign, which has proved an established
helium system where the Itumbula West-1 exploration well
successfully flowed 4.7% helium to surface in Q1 2024. Additional
follow-on leads and prospects are defined by subsurface database
including multispectral satellite spectroscopy, airborne gravity
gradiometry, 2D seismic data, and QEMSCAN analysis.
Helium One is listed on the AIM
market of the London Stock Exchange with the ticker of HE1 and on
the OTCQB in the United States with the ticker HLOGF.