Winchester-1 Exploration Well Reaches 3274m (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 W. Australia, has announced that at 06:00 (WST) on Tuesday, 4 June 2013, the well was at a depth of 3274m MDRT (measured depth below rotary table) and drilling ahead.

Operations over the last week has seen the preparations for drilling-on completed, including testing of the blow-out preventers and leak-off-tests of the 14″ casing, and drilling of the 12¼” hole commenced.

Planned operations over the coming week are to continue drilling the 12¼” hole towards the next casing point at approximately 3540m MDRT.

Once the 12¼” section has been completed, 9⅞” casing will be run 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 planned total depth (TD) of 4803m MDRT. The well is now 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% (Subsidiary of SANTOS Limited) and Winchester Resources NL 25% (Subsidiary of Octanex N.L.).

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June 4, 2013