A British oil and gas company has found natural gas in the southern province of Saravan after only a few months of surveying, paving the way for the company to invest in the gas extraction industry in Laos. Salamander Energy plc, an Asia focused independent oil and gas exploration and production company, announced on Thursday it had found gas at its Bang Nouan 1 well in Nakhonepheng district, some 150km from the provincial capital. Under the supervision of Salamander Energy plc, the MB Century 26 rig has completed drilling of the Bang Nouan 1 well at a total depth of 3.400 metres and logging after beginning the gas survey early this year. The company expects to carry out a testing programme at the well in the near future, using a work over rig, which will begin mobilizing to the site shortly. The MB Century 26 rig has been de-mobilised. Savannakhet Energy and Mines official said Salamander was also considering doing surveys in that province, but were unable to say when they would start drilling. The company would do well in Saravan province. At present, Laos imports 100 percent of its gas and fuel requirements, mostly from Thailand. The discovery of gas in Laos has bolstered the country’s hopes of becoming a gas exporter in the future. Laos imported 639 million litres of fuel in 2009, an increase of almost 16 percent on the previous year, according to a report from the Lao Petroleum and Gas Group.
Source: Vientiane Times
