A group led by Beach Energy Ltd. and including Cooper Energy Ltd., both of Adelaide, has stated a five-well drilling campaign in South Australian production permit PPL 220, which contains Callawonga oil field on the western flank of the Cooper basin.
The program is specifically targeting previously undeveloped reserves in the McKinlay Member sandstone that lies immediately above the Namur Sandstone, which is the main producing reservoir at the field.
Beach says that so far no oil-water contact has been encountered within the McKinlay reservoir. The drilling campaign will include both development and appraisal well locations with the potential to extend the known boundaries of Callawonga field.
The new wells will be numbered Callawonga 14-18, although the drilling sequence will be determined by the results of each individual well. Callawonga-14, spudded during the weekend, is at 198 m and is expected to take 6 days to reach its planned 1,410-m total depth.
The five-well program is scheduled for completion by mid-July and the combine is planning to connect the wells to the field production system during August-September.
Two Callawonga producers, Nos. 7 and 12, are already tapping parts of the McKinlay Member at a combined rate of 500 b/d of oil.
Operator Beach has 75% of the field. Cooper Energy holds the remaining interest.
