D3 Energy Restores Gas Flow at NGT245 E With 5.2% Helium, Retests Low Methane
Key Takeaways
- Remedial cementing at NGT245 E isolated the deeper water zones and re-established gas flow, recovering from the setback reported on 9 September 2026.
- The gas sample returned 5.2% helium, adding to ER315's independently verified concentrations of up to 8%, from the company's first drilling at Nooitgedacht, some 40km from the Production Right application area.
- Methane of 49.7% is described by D3 as "anomalously low" and is being retested, so the gas composition isn't yet settled.
- NGT245 E needs further tailored remedial work before production testing, while NGT245 D resumes remediation after a stabilisation period, and no timelines were disclosed.
- D3 holds roughly 469,847 acres in the Free State, with PR016 under PASA assessment covering about 7.5% of exploration right acreage.
Gas flow re-established at NGT245 E with 5.2% helium confirmed
D3 Energy announces that remedial cementing has isolated the deeper water zones and re-established gas flow at NGT245 E, Nooitgedacht, within the 100%-owned ER315 permit in the Free State, South Africa. A gas sample from the well confirmed helium of 5.2% and methane of 49.7%.
The methane figure needs a caveat. The company describes it as “anomalously low” and says it is being retested, so it should not be read as a positive.
The result follows the 9 September 2026 announcement, which reported deeper water zones inhibiting gas flow in both wells. For investors, this is a recovery from a setback, and the helium grade still points to a helium system of scale across the company’s Free State acreage.
David Casey, Managing Director and CEO
“…The remedial work has re-established gas flow to enable us to collect and analyse gas samples, and the results speak for themselves…”
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What the remedial work achieved and what comes next
Well status
The two wells are at different stages. NGT245 E has gas flowing again, while NGT245 D is waiting on a stabilisation period before work resumes.
| Well | Issue (9 Sept) | Action | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGT245 E | Deeper water zones inhibiting gas flow | Remedial cementing isolated the deeper water zones from the gas producing zones | Gas flow re-established; sample analysed (helium 5.2%, methane 49.7%); camera and log data analysis ongoing; additional, “more tailored” remedial work expected ahead of production testing |
| NGT245 D | Deeper water zones inhibiting gas flow | Initial cementing operations | Remediation work to resume shortly, after a period of stabilisation following initial cementing operations |
Next steps
- At NGT245 E, further analysis of camera and log data will be undertaken, with additional remedial work expected ahead of production testing.
- At NGT245 D, remediation work will resume shortly after a period of stabilisation following initial cementing operations.
No timelines were disclosed. Production testing is the next value inflection point, because it is the step that moves the project from confirming helium in samples toward testing the wells themselves.
Why helium grades matter to investors
Helium concentration is the share of helium in the gas that comes out of the ground. A higher percentage generally means less gas has to be processed to produce the same amount of helium.
That tends to matter for project economics. Less processing per unit of helium is typically better for a project’s potential costs and viability.
D3 Energy’s 5.2% at NGT245 E adds to the track record of the ER315 permit it sits within, which has delivered independently verified helium concentrations of up to 8%. Management called the new result “another world class helium concentration.”
It also comes from the company’s first drilling operation at Nooitgedacht, some 40km from the Production Right application area.
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Scaling the Free State helium portfolio
D3 Energy holds an approximately 469,847 acre land position across South Africa’s Free State Province. Key details from the announcement:
- Licences: ER315, PR016, Exploration Right Applications ER386, ER391, ER392 and ER393, and Technical Cooperation Permits TCP273, TCP280, TCP281, TCP282, TCP283 and TCP284
- PR016 Production Right Application: currently under assessment by Petroleum Agency SA (PASA)
- Initial Production Right Application area: approximately 7.5% of total exploration right acreage
ER386 is contiguous with ER315 and sits within the same Virginia Fault structural corridor that hosts the company’s certified reserves and contingent resources at ER315 and PR016. The balance of the land position, including ER386, is the company’s broader appraisal and development pipeline.
Casey said drilling data, together with the high-resolution seismic data just acquired at Nooitgedacht, will enable the company to refine its structural interpretation and convert what he described as “one of the largest pure play contingent helium resources anywhere,” to reserves. That is management’s view, not an independent ranking.
Beyond South Africa, the company has also expanded into Australia through helium and hydrogen permits in the Arckaringa Basin.
Three things are worth watching next: the NGT245 E methane retest, production testing, and the PASA assessment of PR016.
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