Jadestone Energy PLC tested the Skua-11ST development well in Montara field, offshore Australia, and said strong initial flows are expected to contribute to higher production from the field, reducing operating costs and extending the life of the field by 1 year.
The well was completed with downhole inflow control devices which are designed to maximize reservoir sweep and recovery. Production from Skua-11ST started early August 2025. Initial oil rates exceeded 6,000 b/d which was greater than the previous guidance of 3,500 b/d. Production rates subsequently stabilized at 4,400 bs/d on a 40% open choke prior to restart of the Montara field’s other subsea wells.
The Montara project is in production licenses AC/L7 and AC/L8 in the Timor Sea about 630 km offshore Western Australia in 77 m of water. Montara fields lie in the prolific Vulcan sub-basin containing Plover, Montara, and Lower Vulcan reservoirs. All producing formations have high permeability (0.5–4 Darcy) and high porosity (18–24%).
Within the AC/L7 and AC/L8 licenses and surrounding acreage, there are existing oil and gas discoveries which are not economic on a standalone basis. The Montara project contains infrastructure through which these discoveries can be economically produced.
Montara produces oil using platform production wells for Montara field and subsea wells for Swift, Skua, and Swallow fields. Oil from the subsea wells is piped via subsea flowlines to an unmanned wellhead platform and then to a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel which acts as a hub for Montara fields. The fields are estimated to contain gross 2P reserves of 11.5 million bbl.
Jadestone is the 100% owner and operator of the Montara project.
