Encouraging reserves estimates for a discovery offshore Western Australia have led to a decision to drill an appraisal well this year.
The Quadrant Energy Ltd.-operated Roc gas-condensate discovery in the Bedout subbasin offshore Western Australia will be appraised with a second well on the prospect during this year’s second half.
The decision was made following an independent report on the potential reserves found with the discovery well tested late last year (OGJ Online, Dec. 23, 2015).
The report furnished by Perth-based consultants RISC confirms a contingent 3C recoverable resource of as much as 372 bcf of gas and 18 million bbl of condensate. Additional prospective resources of 328 bcf gas and 16 million bbl of condensate are potentially recoverable.
Quadrant and its joint venture partners Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd., JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp., and Finder Exploration Pty. Ltd. are confident about several elements in the prospect. These include the quality of the gas and condensate in the Roc-1 well, the quality of the reservoir rocks, the outer extent of the structure via the gas-water contact, and the size of the feature as mapped on modern 3D seismic data.
Roc-2 will try to prove that gas and condensate exists down to the gas-water contact. The well has been assessed as relatively low risk and a successful outcome will be a significant step forward in supporting a development hub for gas and liquids that would also open up the province to additional projects.
Roc is close to the earlier 2014 Phoenix South discovery 20 km southwest that could be tied back to a Roc development.
Roc-1 is in 100 m of water 158 km from Port Hedland on the Pilbara coast. It intersected a grow hydrocarbon column of 40-m thickness with a net pay of 13 m.
Roc-2 will be drilled 5-6 km east of Roc-1.
Quadrant has 40% interest in the prospect, while the three other participants hold 20% each.
