Australia: Beetaloo basin shales, sands due tests

Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd., Denver, will soon stimulate and test gas-prospective shales and sandstones at the Shenandoah-1 vertical exploratory well in the Beetaloo subbasin in Northern Territory, Australia.
Sept. 16, 2011

Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd., Denver, will soon stimulate and test gas-prospective shales and sandstones at the Shenandoah-1 vertical exploratory well in the Beetaloo subbasin of the McArthur basin in Northern Territory, Australia.

The company moved in a rig that is drilling out six cement plugs and will set 4-1/2-in. casing at 2,714 m. It will then move off to allow Halliburton stimulation equipment on site.

Five intervals are to be tested, two in the Velkerri shales, two in the Moroak sandstones, and one in the Lower Kyalla shales. All of the formations are Proterozoic in age (see chart, OGJ, June 27, 1994, p. 61).

High flow rates are not expected, but hydrocarbons produced to surface will direct the future placement of horizontal wells for the purpose of testing commerciality (OGJ Online, Aug. 19, 2009). The full test sequence is expected to be concluded around the end of November 2011.

About the Author

Alan Petzet

Chief Editor Exploration

Alan Petzet is Chief Editor-Exploration of Oil & Gas Journal in Houston. He is editor of the Weekly E&D Newsletter, emailed to OGJ subscribers, and a regular contributor to the OGJ Online subscriber website.

Petzet joined OGJ in 1981 after 13 years in the Tulsa World business-oil department. He was named OGJ Exploration Editor in 1990. A native of Tulsa, he has a BA in journalism from the University of Tulsa.

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