Origin group makes oil find off Tasmania

Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Jan. 4 -- The Origin Energy Ltd. group has made a natural gas and oil discovery in its Rockhopper-1 wildcat in Bass basin permit T/18P off northern Tasmania. The size and commercial significance of the find will be assessed following wireline logs and a test program.

Wireline pressure data has confirmed multiple hydrocarbon zones within interbedded sands and shales of the Lower Eastern View Coal Measures in the prospect. Selective wireline sampling also recovered oil from some sands and liquid-rich gas from others.

The thickness of individual sands varies from 1 m to 5 m. Reservoir quality also appears to be variable.

No definitive water-bearing sands were encountered in the target horizons and the joint venture is now contemplating drilling a sidetrack into a down-flank location to establish hydrocarbon column heights.

The well has been drilled by the Kan Tan semisubmersible and is close to the Trefoil and Yolla gas fields.

Origin of Sydney has 39%. Other partners are AWE, Sydney, 47.5%, CalEnergy Gas 8.5%, and Innamincka Petroleum, Brisbane 5%.