Indonesia: Conrad reaches total depth at Mako well

Oil and gas company Conrad Petroleum has reached total depth at its appraisal well at the Mako prospect in Duyung PSC, offshore Indonesia. 

Conrad Petroleum is the operator of the PSC in the Natuna Basin with 90% interest and Empyrean Energy is its partner with the remaining 10% interest.

The Mako South-1 well was spud on June 16 with the COSL Seeker jack-up drilling rig. The Mako shallow gas discovery is estimated to contain 400 Bcf to 1.3 Tcf of gas in place. The objective of the well is to flow test the gas sands and provide key data on the permeability and gas saturation properties of the reservoir.

Empyrean said in an update on Monday that Mako South-1 well has reached its planned total depth of 1,707 feet. Moreover, coring and logging at the well is completed, and testing is underway.

The company further said that drilling operations to acquire a conventional core of the target zone of interest was successful with approximately 99% recovery. Following the recovery of core, the well was drilled to its planned TD of 1,707 feet. Hepta Combo logs were then successfully run and, subsequently, MDT logs were successfully run. The well is currently undergoing a drill stem test (DST) to establish an indicative flow rate, Empyrean added.

Prior to the DST, interpretation of the logs established 23 feet of net gas pay from the main target, the Upper Intra Muda Sands. According to the company, the logs are exhibiting better porosity, permeability and gas saturation than originally modeled. Further work will now be carried out on the core and it is likely that as previously planned, a 3D seismic survey over the discovery will be carried out to obtain a better understanding of the reservoir size and characteristics.

Tom Kelly, Empyrean CEO, commented: “Whilst we have further work to do at Mako to determine the overall size of the potential gas accumulation, Empyrean is extremely pleased that our aggressive exploration program has kicked off with great success. We have a gas discovery with excellent reservoir quality here at the Mako South-1 well location, our first exploration well since we have re-established Empyrean with exciting new assets.

Kelly further stated: “Empyrean has set out to build a core portfolio of potentially transformational exploration assets in prolific hydrocarbon basins, close to infrastructure and energy hungry markets. We have achieved this first stage of our strategy in a relatively short time frame, and now we have our first exploration success with many more chances to come in the near-term. Mr Frank Brophy and Mr Gaz Bisht must be commended for their efforts in this regard.

“In relation to our opportunity at the Duyung PSC, in Indonesia, we commend the operator Conrad Petroleum for their professional approach, planning and execution thus far of the Mako South-1 drilling and testing program. They have exceeded our expectations with regards to timeframes while keeping to budget. These are certainly exciting times for Empyrean and its joint venture partners. “