Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Aug. 8 -- Japanese company Inpex Australia, Perth, and its partner Total E&P Australia have found a 72-m natural gas column in their Mimia-1 wildcat drilled in Browse basin permit WA-344-P off northwest Western Australia.
A production test confirmed that the discovery contains both gas and condensate, the companies reported, but they released no details of test flow rates or reserve estimates.
However the find is significant because it lies in 254 m of water 20 km northeast of the pair's massive Ichthys gas-condensate field in permit WA-285-P.
Ichthys has an estimated 13 tcf of gas and 530 million bbl of recoverable condensate reserves.
The joint venture is now considering how best to incorporate the discovery into its plans for development of Ichthys, which will be via an LNG plant and associated facilities either on the Maret Islands off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia or on the mainland of the Northern Territory near Darwin.
Inpex is operator and has 60% interest in both permits. Total has 40%.
