Santos: Winchester-1 Well Reaches 2891m Depth (Australia)

 Santos Offshore Pty Ltd, the Operator of the Winchester-1 exploration well being drilled in the Dampier Sub-basin permit WA-323-P, offshore Australia, has announced that at 06:00 hours (WST) on Tuesday, 28 May 2013, the well was at a depth of 2891m MDRT (measured depth below rotary table) and preparing to drill out the cement plug.

Operations over the last week has seen the 14″ intermediate casing string run and cemented in and completion of function and pressure testing of the blow-out preventers in preparation for drilling the 12¼” hole.

Planned operations over the coming week are to drill the 12¼” hole to the next casing point, at approximately 3610m MDRT, and to then run the 9⅞” casing prior to drilling the 8½” hole into the zones of interest.

Winchester-1 is a deviated well that is being drilled by the Ensco-109 jack-up rig, in approximately 75m of water and to a total depth (TD) of 4803m MDRT. The well is scheduled to take approximately 80 days from the 7 April spud date to reach TD.

Winchester-1 is targeting the hydrocarbon potential of Triassic aged reservoirs mapped within a four-way dip closed anticline structural closure. The well has been designed, inter alia, to target at least four potential reservoir zones, each associated with high amplitude seismic events.

Winchester-1 is located on the northeast trending Parker Terrace, representing a structural high separated from the Rankin Trend to the east.

The participants in the WA-323-P and WA-330-P permits and their Joint Venture are: Santos Offshore Pty Ltd 75% and Winchester Resources NL 25%.

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May 28, 2013