In a statement, Australia’s biggest independent oil and gas producer said it was now plugging and abandoning the deepwater Pomboo-1 exploration well after drilling reached a total depth of 4887m.

“After running a full suite of logging tools, Woodside has confirmed the absence of hydrocarbons in the primary target zone between 4685m and total depth,” the company said.

“The well encountered in excess of 200m of moderate to good quality reservoir sandstones.”

Pomboo-1 was drilled in 2200m of water in offshore Lamu Basin Block L5, in which Australian partner Global Petroleum’s share of costs were covered by Woodside and Spanish oil and gas major Repsol.

The two companies will also carry Global through the drilling of another exploration well in nearby Block L7.

Woodside and Repsol earn their farm-in equity once these two wells are drilled.

On its website, Woodside says it regards Kenya as an under-explored frontier area with significant potential. It describes it as “the most prospective part of East Africa, with several large geological structures hosting multiple targets similar to those found on Australia’s North-West Shelf”.

Woodside has identified some 50 prospects and leads, some of which have the potential to contain between several hundred million and 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

Participants in the L5 and L7 JV are Woodside (operator with a 30% stake), Dana Petroleum (30%), Global Petroleum (20%) and Repsol (20%), which joined the project in August.