Senex Energy strikes gas flows at South Australian Cooper Basin permit

Senex Energy has revealed that formation gas was recorded at surface during initial flowback at Sasanof-1 well from its 100% operated PEL 516 in South Australian Cooper Basin permit.

Flowback began at the Sasanof-1 well last week, after an extensive hydraulic fracture stimulation programme was completed to determine gas quality and deliverability.

Preliminary results from its unconventional gas exploration campaign in the permit were positive, with gas flowing to surface from the target zones within the Permian section at Sasanof-1.

Flowback operations at Sasanof-1 are currently underway with the well producing fracture stimulation fluid and gas while the company is injecting nitrogen into the well to lift the fracture stimulation fluid to surface.

Senex managing director Ian Davies said although these are early days for the company’s unconventional gas exploration campaign, the preliminary results from Sasanof-1 are extremely good.

"We now have concrete evidence of unconventional gas flows from the Permian section following fracture stimulation, and a growing body of data to model the gas production potential of the liquids-rich southern Cooper Basin," he added.

The company plans to check well behaviour and continue to measure the quantities of gas, stimulation fluid and sand recovered from the well bore in the coming weeks.

Drilling of another well, Talaq-1, reached total depth of 2,879m and currently logging is underway at the well following which it will be cased and suspended.

Talaq-1 forms the second out of the three wells under Senex’s exploration campaign in PEL 516.

Sensex carried out a comprehensive coring program during drilling, which obtained more than 320m of core from the Roseneath and Murteree shales as well as the tight sands and coals of the Patchawarra Formation.

During drilling at Talaq-1, high gas readings were evident all over the Permian Section while condensate and fluorescence were observed in the Epsilon Formation on preliminary analysis of the mud logs, marking the presence of liquid hydrocarbons.

Senex will undertake a comprehensive fracture stimulation program of its third unconventional gas exploration well, Skipton-1 after the second well work is complete.