Morocco Gas Test Enters Crucial Phase as Predator Drills Sixth Guercif Well

Predator Oil & Gas has begun drilling its sixth well in Morocco’s Guercif basin, with the company now testing whether the area can support commercial gas production.

The MOU-6 well started drilling on September 19, 2026, and operations are scheduled to last up to 20 days.

The timing places the drilling programme ahead of the November 5 expiry date for the First Extension Period of Predator’s Guercif licence.

Predator holds a 75 per cent interest in the licence, with Morocco’s state oil and gas company, ONHYM, holding the other 25 per cent.

Five wells found gas

The MOU-6 drilling comes after five earlier wells established the presence of gas in the basin but did not prove that the resources could be produced commercially.

Exploration at Guercif began in 2021 with MOU-1, which gave Predator its first gas discovery in the area.

MOU-2 was drilled in 2023 but was suspended because of operational problems. Another well drilled that year, MOU-3, confirmed what the company called biogenic pure methane, a type of gas considered suitable for compressed natural gas development.

MOU-4 then confirmed a Jurassic-age geological structure covering about 126 square kilometres.

MOU-5 was drilled to investigate deeper Jurassic gas resources.

The latest well is intended to answer a different and more important question for the project: whether the gas found in the basin can support commercial production.

Predator is using a revised well design for MOU-6 after technical problems encountered during earlier drilling.

The company estimates that the well could establish 2.7 billion cubic metres of additional gas.

A successful result would support Predator’s plan to supply compressed natural gas to industrial customers in Morocco.

The company also sees possible longer-term access to the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline as part of that plan.

The well’s objectives are also covered in an Independent Technical Resources Report referenced in Predator’s June 11, 2026 RNS statement.

Licence covers 4,301 square kilometres

The Guercif licence covers about 4,301 square kilometres across four exploration permits in northeastern Morocco.

Predator is operating the licence with ONHYM, Morocco’s state oil and gas company.

The licence is now in its First Extension Period after the Initial Period ended. That extension is due to expire on November 5.

MOU-6 is therefore scheduled to be completed before the current licence period ends. With drilling planned for up to 20 days, results could emerge in early to mid-October.

The Morocco operation is one part of Predator’s wider upstream business.

The Jersey-incorporated and London-listed company has producing hydrocarbon operations in Trinidad through its wholly owned subsidiary, Predator Oil & Gas Trinidad Ltd.

Its Trinidad activities include enhanced oil recovery using carbon dioxide injection.

Predator also holds offshore gas exploration and appraisal interests in Ireland, alongside its Moroccan assets.

The company’s portfolio therefore includes exploration, appraisal and producing operations in Morocco, Trinidad and Ireland.

For the Guercif project, however, MOU-6 is focused on establishing whether the gas discovered through five earlier wells can support commercial production.

The result is expected before the Guercif licence’s First Extension Period expires on November 5, giving the drilling programme a defined timetable from its September 19 start.