Noble Helium Targets Accelerated Exploration Campaign at North Rukwa Project

Noble Helium (ASX: NHE) is preparing to accelerate exploration of its North Rukwa project in Tanzania after defining five helium gas targets for testing.

The drilling will further investigate the significant potential Noble has already identified in observed seeps of up to 18% helium at surface.

Noble estimates the new targets have the potential to hold a prospective helium resource mean estimate of 225.5 billion cubic feet.

Drilling Schedule

Noble’s scheduled work at North Rukwa will commence with drilling the Mbelele-1A appraisal well to a depth of 88 metres to assess the potential of a previously identified shallow gas cap.

Lab measurements of gases Noble sampled from the pressurised formation fluid below this cap yielded helium concentrations of as high as 2.46%.

Noble then plans to drill an additional four exploration wells to test two structures and seven potential free gas zones between 180m and 600m deep at Kinambo, 30km southeast of Mbelele.

The company has previously observed a number of positive helium indicators at Kinambo, including gas with concentrations significantly above atmospheric bubbling at surface.

Valuable Lessons Learned

Technical director Justyn Wood said Noble would use the valuable lessons the company learned from detailed analysis of its first drilling campaign in Tanzania, first among which being that helium requires a different lens to that used for hydrocarbons.

“The North Rukwa basin remains one of the most promising helium exploration areas globally, and we now have a clearer understanding of how the system works and a strategy for success,” he said.

“Independent targets, multiple gas-phase mechanisms, and a favourable depositional environment for reservoir and seal development significantly increases the probability of success.”

Noble chief operating officer Dermott O’Keefe and Tanzanian operations manager Joseph Uisso have been at North Rukwa over recent weeks examining access to the drilling sites and finalising the field engineering program in preparation for drilling.