Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc (LON: PRD) has successfully completed drilling at its MOU-6 well in Morocco, encountering a thicker-than-previously-recorded target interval, while securing regulatory approval for its Snowcap-3 well in Trinidad.
The Jersey-based energy company confirmed that MOU-6 reached its planned depth of 950 metres within the 20-day drilling schedule, meeting operational expectations.
The well intersected the primary TGB-6 Submarine Fan target approximately 600 metres northwest of MOU-3, identifying a 21.2-metre gross upper interval, compared with approximately 13.2 metres encountered at MOU-3.
The increased thickness is consistent with Predator’s pre-drill geological forecasts, based on seismic interpretation and its existing exploration model covering the MOU-1, MOU-3 and MOU-6 wells.
Predator also acquired a more comprehensive suite of wireline logs, including spectral gamma ray and Formation Microresistivity Imaging (FMI), providing additional geological data to support reservoir evaluation.
Preparations are now underway for a single-well production test, with the company planning to perforate the 21.2-metre interval using larger 4.5-inch tubing-conveyed perforating guns under controlled pressure conditions.
Testing is expected to begin shortly and will help assess the reservoir’s gas potential while providing information to calibrate existing well data across the wider Moroccan licence area.
The company stressed that further analysis will be required to determine the significance of the geological findings and their implications for potential commercial gas production.
To support this work, Predator has signed a confidentiality agreement with Romanian geological consultancy Geo Line Solution S.R.L., which has experience with producing biogenic gas fields in Romania and western Ukraine.
The collaboration will explore geological comparisons that could assist in evaluating the gas-bearing potential of formations encountered across the MOU-1, MOU-3 and MOU-6 wells.
Meanwhile, Predator has received regulatory approval to drill Snowcap-3 at its Cory Moruga Licence in Trinidad, clearing an important regulatory step ahead of the planned drilling programme.
The company expects to provide further details on the timing of Snowcap-3 operations once its current Moroccan activities are completed.
Chief Executive Paul Griffiths said the revised drilling design and mud-weight strategy at MOU-6 had delivered improved wellbore conditions, better cutting samples and higher-quality wireline data compared with previous wells.
He highlighted that the thicker TGB-6 Fan interval confirmed pre-drill expectations, while the forthcoming well test should provide important information for assessing the wider gas prospect.
Griffiths also welcomed the timely approval for Snowcap-3, confirming that operational attention would now shift towards Trinidad.
For investors, the immediate focus will be on the MOU-6 well test results, which should provide a clearer indication of reservoir performance and the potential for commercial gas development.
The Snowcap-3 approval also provides a route towards the company’s next drilling programme in Trinidad, maintaining operational momentum across both its principal areas of activity.
