FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone’s government says Russia’s Lukoil has completed its first exploration well off the coast of the West African nation, confirming the presence of “high-quality oil.”

In a statement issued late Monday, the government congratulated Lukoil and said a full appraisal of the amount of potential oil would be completed by the end of the year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sierra-leone-lukoil-completes-its-1st-oil-exploration-well-off-countrys-coast/2013/10/21/b3640636-3a91-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html