AWE starts Senecio-3 appraisal well drilling in Western Australia

Oil and gas exploration and production firm AWE has started drilling the Senecio-3 appraisal well in permits L1/L2 in the Perth Basin, Western Australia.

The well is located on agricultural land about 14.5km east of Dongara, and 7km from the operating Dongara gas plant.

The company will drill Senecio-3 vertically to a planned total depth of 2,783m. It is expected to take about five weeks to complete.

AWE said the well is designed to test the unconventional gas potential in the western side of the Senecio reservoir and is targeting the Dongara and Wagina tight sandstone formation.

Core samples from the programme will be sent for analysis. AWE said it will not undertake hydraulic fracture stimulation on Senecio-3 at this stage.

The company expects to start the approvals process for phase one of the Senecio unconventional gas field development if the results are positive.

The Senecio-3 well may potentially be re-completed as a production well in a future field development.

AWE previously drilled the Senecio-2 well, located on the eastern side of the reservoir.

The well was fracture stimulated over a 5m perforation interval in the Dongara and Wagina tight sandstone formation in August 2012.

A stabilised gas flow rate of 1.35 MMscf/d was recorded in a 40-hour test that was conducted in September 2012. The test produced a total of 4.65 MMscf of gas and around 65 barrels of crude oil/condensate.