Western Cooper basin oil play taking hold

July 26, 2006
Stuart Petroleum Ltd., Adelaide, spudded the Light Fingers-1 wildcat on PEL 113 about 2.8 km west of its high-flowing 2006 Toparoa oil discovery scheduled to begin producing later this year.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 26 -- Stuart Petroleum Ltd., Adelaide, spudded the Light Fingers-1 wildcat on PEL 113 about 2.8 km west of its high-flowing 2006 Toparoa oil discovery scheduled to begin producing later this year. Light Fingers-1, with a projected TVD of 1,630 m, is targeting the Hutton and Murta formations.

Light Fingers is on trend with Toparoa and with Derrilyn field in Queensland, which has produced more than 750,000 bbl of oil and averages 2,000 b/d.

Toparoa-1, drilled to TD 1,597 m in 8 days, flowed at a rate of 1,814 b/d of 42° gravity oil from 6 m of Hutton sandstone. It is to go on production in late September at 700-800 b/d and will later attain 1,300-1,600 b/d with added equipment.

Stuart Petroleum operates 12,850-acre PEL 113 license on the Murteree high about 50 km south of Moomba and holds 100% interest, but Avery Resources Inc., Calgary, will complete earning a 35% working interest with the drilling of Light Fingers-1.