Cooper Energy discovers new gas at Dombey-1DW1 well

Australian oil and gas exploration firm Cooper Energy has encountered gas in the primary target Pretty Hill Formation of the Dombey-1DW1 exploration well.

Cooper Energy holds a 30% interest in PEL 494 in the Penola Trough located onshore Otway Basin, South Australia. Beach Energy operates the licence and owns a 70% interest in it.

The well resulted in a gross gas column of 44.5m with an estimated net pay thickness of 25m. It has been identified with an interpreted gas-water contact in the reservoir.

Cooper Energy said that the gas sample analysis indicates low inert (non-hydrocarbon) content.

Dombey-1DW1 has been drilled to a depth of 3,384m measured depth rotary table (MDRT) and formation evaluation is currently underway.

Pressure testing while drilling, wireline pressure testing and fluid sampling, was performed over the 1,923m to 3,284m interval.

Further testing and analysis are still required to proceed with the commercial operations of the well.

However, this initial data gave encouraging details and the well is being drilled with the assistance of a $6.9m Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprise (PACE) grant from the South Australian government.

Last May, a consortium of Cooper Energy, Awe and Mitsui E&P Australia signed an agreement to acquire BHP Billiton Petroleum’s 90% interest in the Minerva gas plant.

Cooper Energy completed the previously announced divestment of the Orbost gas processing plant in Australia to APA Group in November 2017.

In May 2015, Beach Energy and Cooper Energy initiated spudding at the oil exploration well Sensation-1, which is located in PRL 98 on the western side of the Cooper Basin in South Australia.