Drillsearch and Beach Energy strike oil at Bauer oilfield

Drillsearch Energy and Beach Energy have made a new oil discovery at the Bauer-5 development well location in PEL 91 in South Australia’s onshore Cooper basin.

Bauer-5, the first of an initial three-well development drilling programme, encountered a five metre net oil pay column in Birkhead Formation, the secondary target of the well.

A drill stem test over the interval revealed 48.3° API oil coming to surface, at a rate of 1,160 barrels per day, with no water production for a 28 minute period.

Since the oil column was found in stratigraphicly trapped sands, it would be difficult to calculate additional mean recoverable barrels from Bauer-5, but the partners said it is likely that the well will have a material impact on 2P Reserves of the field.

Bauer-5 also confirmed the north eastern extension of the field by intersecting six metres of Namur oil pay, hitting the primary target Namur pay zone, one metre high to prognosis.

Drillsearch said this result confirms the extension of the mapped Namur accumulation to the north east of the Bauer oil field and flow rates from Namur are expected to be in line with previous completed wells.

Drillsearch managing director Brad Lingo said PEL 91 was already confirmed as a highly prospective part of the Western Flank Oil Fairway and Bauer-5 has firmly established the area contains multiple oil plays and pay zones.

"Early interpretation of the newly acquired PEL 91 Aquillus 3D seismic shows clear signs of the development of extensive Birkhead Formation channel sands similar to those seen in the vicinity of the Growler, Snatcher and Charo oil fields," he added.

The well will now be cased and suspended as a future oil producer, while the Ensign 930 rig will be shifted to the Bauer-7 development well that lies 0.5km to the south of Bauer-5.

The joint venture partners plan to deepen the next two development wells in the area, Bauer-6 and Bauer-7, to further evaluate the Birkhead’s aerial extent in Bauer oilfield.

Beach Energy, as operator, owns a 40% stake in PEL 91 while Drillsearch holds a 60% stake.