A partnership of Beach Energy Ltd. and Drillsearch Energy Ltd. started production testing with the promising Coolawang-1 wildcat well as part of a three-well extended test program to evaluate resources and plan future development of the wet gas fairway found in South Australia’s Cooper basin.
With Coolawang-1 the joint venture found two wet gas pay zones, which are being individually tested. Work has started on the lower zone and initial clean-up flows have already produced significant quantities of gas and condensate.
The program in permit PEL 106B is expected to provide a better estimate of reserves and potential production rates. The close proximity of Coolawang to existing pipelines and production infrastructure bodes well for its development prospects.
The discovery was made earlier this year in Permian-age sands of the Patchawarra formation and the Tirrawarra sandstone units, both of which are good producing reservoirs elsewhere in the basin.
Downhole log and formation pressure data along with results of drill stem testing indicate pay zones similar to those found by Beach and Drillsearch in the nearby Brownlow and Canunda fields.
The current production test at Coolwawang is expected to take 20 days. The nearby Haslam and Southend wet gas discoveries will make up the rest of the three-well test program.
