Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
THE drilling of the highly anticipated Musuma-1 exploration well in the Cabora Bassa Basin is starting in this second half of the year, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s quest to establish a commercial petroleum industry and strengthen long-term energy security.
The exploration campaign, being undertaken by Australian-listed company Invictus Energy, is expected to test one of the most promising undrilled hydrocarbon prospects in the basin outside the Mukuyu gas-condensate discovery in Muzarabani.
The Musuma-1 exploration well is located in Mbire District in Mashonaland Central Province, within the Cabora Bassa Basin near Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia.
Success at Musuma-1 could expand Zimbabwe’s known gas resources, attract fresh investment into the upstream petroleum sector and accelerate the country’s transition from a frontier exploration market to a potential oil and gas producer.
In preparation for drilling, Invictus yesterday announced the awarding of key contracts covering construction of the well pad, access road upgrades, water supply infrastructure and logistics, while mobilisation of Rig 202 — the drilling rig — and procurement of critical drilling equipment are already underway, keeping the project on track for a second-half 2026 spud — the very first action of boring a hole into the earth to begin drilling an oil or gas well.
The contracts cover the construction of the Musuma-1 well pad and associated civil works, including upgrades to access roads to transport drilling equipment and the establishment of water supply infrastructure essential for drilling operations.
According to the company, the site works are being undertaken to ensure the well pad and associated infrastructure are ready to receive Rig 202 in line with the planned drilling schedule.
Invictus has also completed the evaluation of suppliers for critical long-lead equipment required for the well, including wellheads and tubulars, while procurement of the remaining equipment is expected to be finalised shortly.
At the same time, Exalo Drilling SA, the contractor responsible for Rig 202, has begun mobilising personnel to Zimbabwe to commence in-country preparations and carry out critical maintenance work before the rig is transported to the Musuma-1 drilling location.
Evaluation of tenders for drilling support services is also at an advanced stage, with the remaining contracts expected to be awarded in the coming weeks.
Invictus Managing Director Mr Scott Macmillan said the latest contract awards marked an important milestone as the project transitions from planning to field execution.
“Awarding well pad construction, civils, road upgrade, water supply, long-lead equipment and logistics contracts represents an important step in our preparations for the Musuma-1 exploration well. These allow us to move into the field execution phase and ensure the necessary infrastructure, equipment and mobilisation planning are in place ahead of drilling,” he said.
Mr Macmillan said securing the remaining long-lead equipment was a key procurement milestone that supports the company’s drilling readiness.
“We are also pleased that Exalo SA is mobilising its team this week to commence in-country setup and critical maintenance activities for Rig 202 ahead of its planned move to the Musuma-1 wellpad.
“The evaluation of well services provision is well advanced and we are targeting award of these remaining scopes in the coming weeks. The company remains on track to spud Musuma-1 in H2 2026,” he said.
Musuma-1 is widely regarded as one of the most significant conventional exploration wells to be drilled in Zimbabwe.
It is the first high-impact exploration well to target a completely new geological play outside the Mukuyu gas-condensate discovery area and could substantially increase the country’s hydrocarbon resource base if successful.
The well is targeting an estimated gross mean unrisked prospective resource of 1.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 73 million barrels of condensate.
While these estimates remain prospective and require successful drilling and appraisal before commercial reserves can be confirmed, the target ranks among the largest undrilled conventional prospects identified within the Cabora Bassa Basin.
Experts say a commercial discovery at Musuma-1 would de-risk exploration across the eastern Cabora Bassa Basin, validate geological models generated from recent seismic surveys and open the way for further drilling across several additional prospects already identified within Invictus’ licence area.
Such an outcome could prove transformative for Zimbabwe.
Commercial gas production would help diversify the country’s energy sources, reduce reliance on imported liquid fuels, support gas-fired electricity generation and provide feedstock for industries such as fertiliser manufacturing, petrochemicals and other energy-intensive sectors.
It would also create employment opportunities, stimulate infrastructure development and generate export earnings and fiscal revenues.
The project also aligns with Zimbabwe’s broader industrialisation agenda by positioning natural gas as a strategic energy source capable of supporting mining, manufacturing and power generation while enhancing national energy security.
Invictus’ Cabora Bassa project covers approximately 360 000 hectares under Special Grant 4571 and Exclusive Prospecting Orders 1848 and 1849 in northern Zimbabwe.
The company has spent several years exploring what is regarded as one of Africa’s last largely underexplored onshore rift basins.
The project attracted international attention following the successful drilling of the Mukuyu-1 and Mukuyu-2 wells, which confirmed the presence of a working hydrocarbon system and resulted in Zimbabwe’s first major gas-condensate discovery.
Since then, extensive seismic surveys have identified numerous additional exploration prospects across the basin, with Musuma-1 emerging as the highest-priority target beyond the Mukuyu structure.
The company believes the well “has the potential to unlock a substantial new resource base in the eastern portion of the licence area where several high potential prospects have been identified from the CB23 seismic survey.”
Traditional and cultural ceremonies will be conducted at the well site before construction begins, after which drilling preparations will gather pace ahead of the arrival of Rig 202 as Invictus advances towards what could become one of the most consequential exploration campaigns in Zimbabwe’s history.
