By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, May 4 -- Santos Ltd., operator of Australian exploration permit 154 in the Victorian section of the Otway basin, has made its fourth discovery in that area this year.
Lavers-1 wildcat intersected an 11-m gross gas column in the Cretaceous Waarre sand between 1,542-53 m. The well reached 1,627 m TD.
Santos and its partner in the well are evaluating logs, which indicate 10 m net of gas pay. Lavers-1 will be cased and suspended as a future gas producer.
Santos Managing Director John Ellice-Flint said, "Our success rate in the Otway basin remains strong, with a 100% success rate in PEPs 153 and 154.... While Lavers is not as significant a discovery as the previous successes in this campaign, we are currently evaluating the option of how to tie it with other discoveries in the Otway basin."
The well is 2 km northwest of the McIntee gas find and 16 km northwest of the Heytesbury gas facility.
Santos owns 90% of Lavers, and Beach Petroleum NL owns 10%.
The rig will move to Naylor-1 site, the last in a five-well Otway basin exploration program. Naylor will spud by May 10.
