Buru Energy has achieved a maiden natural gas flow from a conventional reservoir in WA’s Canning Basin. The Rafael 1 discovery produced a substantial gas flow with encouraging condensate co-production.
Initial stabilised flows of 4 to 5 million cubic feet per day through a half inch choke included an estimated 20 to 30 barrels of condensate per million cubic feet of produced gas.
According to the company, field measures of the gas indicate it is of excellent quality with only 2 per cent carbon dioxide and high joule energy as indicated by the substantial amounts of accompanying condensate flow.
Bottom hole pressures have been confirmed in excess of 6,000 pounds per square inch and wellhead flowing pressure of 970 pounds per square inch bodes well for the future production capability of the reservoir.
The tests have been made on the open hole section of the Rafael 1 well below bottom hole casing depth of 3,868 metres. The total depth of the well is 4,141m leaving an open-hole section of 273m open to the current test.
Whilst further testing and laboratory analysis are required to substantiate field observations, the results so far are encouraging.
Interestingly, the most exciting part of the drilled hole remains behind casing and is awaiting upcoming testing. The section of hole from 3,785m encountered conventional dolomite reservoir with gas influxes over a total gross interval of 165m leaving the upper 85m behind casing yet to be tested. Early wireline log interpretations indicated the section was at least 50 per cent net dolomite reservoir leaving 42.5 net metres of reservoir left to be tested. Buru Energy has previously reported it expects the gross gas column to be thicker than the reservoir section encountered in the well indicating the potential for a significant gas resource in this field.
The Ensign 963 rig was released from Rafael 1 on 2 December 2021, however weather conditions and then Western Australia border restrictions due to Covid prevented personnel and equipment from entering the state to run the current testing until mid-February this year.
While testing was able to commence on 25 February it was necessary to suspend testing operations until Cyclone Anika passed through as it was necessary to evacuate crew out of the field before the storm arrived. The planned testing, the company said, will resume when safe to do so. Longer flow periods are scheduled along with more detail on the separation of gas, liquified petroleum gas and condensate from the well flow.
Buru’s Executive Chairman, Eric Streitberg said: “This is the first sustained gas flow from conventional reservoirs in the Canning Basin and has demonstrated the producibility of the gas and condensate accumulation in place at Rafael. We now need to obtain the additional flow data and gas analyses from this test and integrate these into our reservoir models.”
“We also need to plan for testing of the other zones in the well including the upper part of the Ungani Dolomite zone where the gas influx occurred during the drilling of the well, and the Upper Laurel Carbonate section, both of which are behind casing.”
“We are also on track to have an independent resource estimate completed for the Ungani Dolomite section in three to four weeks’ time and this will help to guide our forward plans for appraisal of the accumulation.”
The Rafael 1 well is located in northwest Western Australia about 150 kilometres east of Broome. Buru Energy and Origin Energy each have a 50 per cent equity interest in the well.
Buru Energy already produces oil from the Ungani oil field in the Canning Basin exporting its production through the port of Wyndham. Currently there are no gas export pipelines available for future production from the Rafael Field.
One nearby option for the gas is the Broome power station. Commissioned as part of the West Kimberly Power Project, that includes Derby, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Looma power stations.
With increasing anxiety over gas supplies in Europe and the east coast of Australia ever hungry for more gas, any new production is likely to turn a few heads.
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By Matt Birney
