ASX-listed Kinetiko Energy, which is conducting onshore gas exploration in Mpumalanga, South Africa, has completed its deepest core hole to date.

“Following our previous announcement indicating further exploration success in Block ER270 . . . 270-08C reached a terminal depth (TD) of 745 m when we broke through the Dwyka tillites and encountered granitic basement. We managed to log the entire stratigraphy to TD and are very encouraged by the results,” Kinetiko CEO Nick de Blocq said on March 26.

The company’s most recent core hole 270-08C is about 17 km north of the town of Memel, about 6 km from the high-voltage transmission grid and 26 km from the Lily pipeline, South Africa’s longest gas pipeline, which feeds the industries of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands and coastal cities.

The company said core hole 270-08C was drilled with the objective of testing the potential of the sediments overlaying the southerly-dipping basinal structures, capped by thick dolerite layers. It was spudded on January 22 and the rig left site 45 days later after properly plugging the core hole and rehabilitating the site.

Wireline logging has been completed in core hole 270-08C, with exploration core results comprising dolerite sills (green zones) and gassy sandstone pay (broad pink cross-over shading of density/neutron porosity). The remains are coals (2.53 m) and carbonaceous siltstone/mudstone zones.

Kinetiko said five coals samples were taken from core hole 270-08C for gas desorption testing and, after three weeks, desorbing results range between 3 m³/t and 5 m³/t. The company expects these results to improve over time.

The total gassy sandstone pay over 1 m in thickness is 137.5 m, in logged depth of 745.7 m, which is the deepest drilling at the project to date.

“The inclusion of the core hole 270-08C in our portfolio of successful core holes amplifies our belief in the massive gas-laden fairway we are demonstrating to exist across all of our tenements. The geology is continuing to be positive with high productive potential, especially in the South deeper geology,” Kinetiko said.

This increases the company’s confidence of establishing an expanding resource play. This phase of exploration in ER270 will include two more core holes in the second quarter.