Santos Hoping to Strike Gas at Winchester-1 Well Off W. Australia

Australia’s Santos Offshore Pty Ltd (Santos), operator of WA-323-P and WA-330-P permits is preparing to spud the Winchester-1 well, offshore W. Australia by Sunday, 7 April 2013.

The Permits are located in the Dampier Sub-basin, offshore from Western Australia. The well will be drilled with the Ensco 109 Jack-up drilling rig.

According to a press release issued by Octanex, Santos’ partner in the area, the Winchester-1 well will target the hydrocarbon potential of Triassic aged reservoirs mapped within a four- way dip closed anticline structural closure. The well is located on the northeast trending Parker Terrace, representing a structural high separated from the Rankin Trend to the east.

Octanex holds a 25% participating interest in the Permits, with Santos holding the remaining 75% participating interest following their farmin to both permits. As part of the farmin arrangements, Santos agreed that Octanex would be free carried through all phases of a 3D seismic survey and the first well drilled in the Permits. That free carried well will be Winchester-1.

Winchester-1 is proposed as a deviated exploration well, to be drilled by the Ensco-109 jack-up rig within the WA-323-P permit. The well will be drilled in approximately 75m of water and to a total depth (TD) of 4803m MDRT (measured depth below rotary table). It is scheduled to take approximately 80 days to reach TD.

Any hydrocarbons to be encountered in the target reservoir are expected to be gas and condensate, in a similar composition to those intersected at the nearby Wilcox Field.