Beach makes oil find in Australia's Eromanga basin
Beach Petroleum, Adelaide, and its joint venture partner, Drillsearch Energy, Sydney, have made an oil discovery in
permit PEL91 in the South Australian part of the Eromanga basin.
The Chiton-1 wildcat well found a 5.5-m oil interval in the primary Mesozoic-age Namur sandstone target. It is the
first oil discovery in the permit and, although at a P50 estimate of 120,000 bbl of reserves, it is relatively close
to existing infrastructure and will be completed for future production.
Chiton-1 is the first of two wells planned in PEL91 along the oil fairway on the western flank of the Patchawarra
Trough, which has seen recent discoveries in adjoining permits PELs 92 and 104.
The Chiton discovery significantly reduces the risk of oil charge for other prospects in the block and provides extra
confidence for the programs to come.
The second well in PEL91 will be Marino-1 about 8 km north of Chiton, also with a Namur sandstone target.
Beach is operator with 40 %. Drillsearch holds the remaining 60 %.
