Australia: Beach Energy Provides May Drilling Report

Australia’s Beach Energy has released the following monthly drilling report for May 2012.

Operated Cooper Basin Unconventional Gas Program

Flow testing of the uppermost Patchawarra Formation at Encounter-1 in PEL-218 (Beach 100%) continued during the month. Pressure gauges were installed in the well on 28 May and the well was shut-in to record a pressure build-up survey. This data will assist in evaluation of post stimulation fracture extent and reservoir permeability. The gauges will be recovered in early June prior to fracture stimulation of the Roseneath-Epsilon-Murteree package with six stimulation treatments.

The Streaky-1 shale and basin-centred gas exploration well (PEL 218, Beach 100%) was spudded on 13 May with the Ensign 916 rig and was at intermediate casing point at 2,604 metres at month end.

In the southern Cooper Basin, the Davenport-1 exploration well (PEL 94, Beach 50%) has been drilled, logged and cored to evaluate the unconventional deep coal gas potential of the Permian interval within the Milpera Trough, approximately 70 kilometres south of Moomba. The well intersected exceptionally thick coal seams, which included a 45 metre thick coal in the Patchawarra Formation. Selective coring was conducted in a side-track hole, after which the well was cased and suspended for future evaluation. Core analyses have commenced.

Operated Cooper-Eromanga Oil and Gas

Early in the month, the Southend-1 gas exploration well (PEL 107, Beach 40%) discovered stratigraphically trapped gas, flowing gas to surface from a Patchawarra Formation sand before the test integrity was lost. No stabilised rate could be determined, but together with wireline pressure data the flow confirmed producible gas. The well has been cased and suspended and further flow evaluations will be considered as part of the Joint Venture’s gas strategy in this area. Southend-1 was the last of a five well gas exploration program drilled to further evaluate the potential for stratigraphically trapped gas and unconventional deep coal gas along the margin of the Patchawarra Trough.

The rig subsequently drilled the Riley-1 oil exploration well in PEL 92 (Beach 75%). Riley-1 failed to intersect hydrocarbons and was plugged and abandoned. The Ensign 930 rig is currently drilling the Christies-6 oil development well.

Santos Operated Cooper Basin Oil and Gas Development

The Tindilpie-17 deviated gas development well (Beach 20.21%) was drilled, cased and suspended as a future gas producer. The rig is currently drilling the Tindilpie-18 deviated gas development well from the same surface pad as the two previous wells.

An oil program of four wells was completed during the month. Cook-22 and Cook-23 were the third and fourth wells in the program designed to appraise and develop the Cook Oilfield in South West Queensland (PL 97, Beach 20%). Cook-22 was plugged and abandoned after failing to intersect a commercially significant oil column, while Cook-23 was successfully cased and suspended as a future oil producer.

The Charo oil development campaign (PPL 177, Beach 20.21%) also continued with Charo-13, Charo-14 and Charo-15 successfully cased and suspended as future oil production or water injection wells. The ninth and final well of the campaign, Charo-16, is expected to spud in the next few days.

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LNG World News Staff, June 06, 2012; Image: Beach Energy