Years of subsurface studies in Ghana’s Voltaian Basin are advancing towards a major milestone, as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and GNPC Explorco intensify preparations to drill the TUA-1X exploratory well at Chegu in the Mion District.

The proposed well will take the exploration programme from seismic data and geological interpretation into the subsurface, providing new information to test years of technical work and help determine the direction of further exploration across the Basin.

Management of GNPC and GNPC Explorco visited the proposed well location to review progress and the immediate work programme ahead of drilling. Physical preparations will begin with the construction of a 13.5-kilometre access road to Chegu and a rig pad at the proposed well location, alongside other site works required for the safe mobilisation and arrival of the drilling rig.

GNPC Explorco Managing Director, Sam Opoku-Arthur, said the move to site preparation follows extensive subsurface work to identify and mature the drilling location. “The next step for us, after all the subsurface work that we did, is to start the construction of the access road and the rig pad and ensure the safe arrival of the rig,” he said.

TUA 1X Well Project Manager at GNPC Explorco, Joseph Lartey, said engineering design is complete, with the next phase covering the access road, preparation of the well location, and development of the base camp.

GNPC Chief Executive, Kwame Ntow Amoah, described the move towards TUA 1X as the culmination of years of work and consistent with GNPC's historic role in taking on exploration risk to open new areas for investment.

Drawing parallels with GNPC’s early exploration work offshore Ghana, Mr. Ntow Amoah said the Corporation was again taking the lead in de-risking a frontier area where investor appetite has historically been limited. “We are taking the lead this time to establish GNPC as the pioneer in opening up the Voltaian Basin,” he said.

A successful TUA 1X well, he explained, would provide significant new subsurface information that could be integrated with seismic data already acquired and further improve understanding of the Basin's petroleum potential.

Covering approximately 103,000 square kilometres, the Voltaian Basin is Ghana's largest sedimentary basin. GNPC expects the drilling programme to progressively de-risk the Basin and create the technical basis for further exploration investment.

Management was equally clear that moving towards drilling should not be interpreted as confirmation that oil or gas has already been discovered. Deputy Chief Executive Mr. Hamis Ussif, responsible for Finance, Commercial, and Administration, said an exploratory well remains valuable whether it encounters hydrocarbons. “You may hit your target, which is to find oil or gas, or you may not find oil or gas, but you still find data that will be useful for you going forward,” he stated. Mr. Ussif also said funding had been provided beyond the current year to support the drilling programme and related activities.

The data obtained from TUA 1X will allow GNPC and GNPC Explorco to compare existing geological interpretations with actual subsurface conditions and inform decisions on subsequent exploration activity across the Basin.

Ahead of the site visit, the delegation called on the Chegu Naa, Naa Andani Iddrisu, to update them on the work ahead and reaffirm continued engagement with the immediate host community.

Naa Andani Iddrisu welcomed the progress made and emphasised openness, mutual respect, and continued collaboration as activities progress.

The Member of Parliament for Mion, Hon. Misbahu Mahama Adams, and District Chief Executive, Hon. Azindow Hamza Moabaly, also reaffirmed their support for the programme and continued collaboration with GNPC and GNPC Explorco.

The Chegu engagement followed an earlier meeting with the Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuya-Naa Yakubu Abukari II, at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, where the traditional leadership was briefed on progress in the Basin and preparations for the next phase of exploration.

With years of seismic acquisition and further geological and geophysical studies behind the programme, the immediate focus now shifts to constructing the 13.5-kilometre access road, rig pad, base camp, and associated site-preparation works ahead of mobilisation for exploratory drilling.

Whatever the outcome of TUA 1X, the information obtained from the well will add to GNPC's understanding of the Voltaian Basin and help determine the direction of subsequent exploration work.