Origin Energy, on behalf of the L11 Joint Venture, advised that the Weatherford drilling rig 826 is currently drilling the Redback 2 exploration well. This well is being drilled from the same surface location as Redback 1, drilled in 2004.

The Redback prospect straddles the permit boundary between L11 and EP 320 in the onshore Perth Basin and is located 2 kilometers east- northeast of the Beharra Springs gas plant.

The well is being drilled from the Redback-1 well pad to a total measured depth of approximately 3,980 metres. The well will assess the gas potential of the Wagina Sandstone, which is productive at the nearby Beharra Springs and Redback South gas fields, and also retrieve a core in the lower Kockatea Shale to assess the shale gas potential of the unit.

Redback-1 which was drilled in 2004 did not intersect the target Wagina Sandstone due to it having been faulted out and the well was therefore not a definitive test of the structure. Subsequently, Redback South-1 was drilled in 2009 on an independent structure to the south of the Redback Fault. The well encountered gas filled reservoir in the Wagina Sandstone, which has tested at a stabilized rates of 11.5 million cubic feet of gas per day limited by test facilities.

Following Redback-2, the joint venture will drill the Wolf-1 exploration well, which will further test the Redback South fault block.

Tags: Origin Energy