Beach Energy announced that a single stage fracture stimulation of the Patchawarra Formation in the Encounter-1 shale and basin centred gas well was successfully placed on 23 April 2012.
As with all wells post-stimulation, the Encounter-1 well initially recovered some of the injected fracture stimulation fluid. The well has now commenced flowing gas and the flow has been diverted through a separator. The gas is flowing at in excess of 500,000 scfd and is being flared, with improvement in flow rate expected as the well is further opened up and the stimulation fluid content reduces with time.
It is important to note that the Holdfast-1 well, which flowed gas at an initial rate of 2 MMscfd, was fracture stimulated over seven stages. This first stage of the Encounter-1 fracture stimulation program was undertaken as a single stage fracture stimulation of the Patchawarra Formation only.
Reg Nelson, Managing Director said: “ This Patchawarra flow result is significant. It reinforces our belief that, in addition to the considerable shale gas play, the central part of the Nappamerri Trough in the Cooper Basin hosts a sizeable basin centred gas play. The one thing we do know is that this resource is now a potential game changing asset for not just Beach Energy, but for the Australian East coast gas market as a whole.”
Encounter-1 will be flow tested for approximately 6 weeks, after which the test will be suspended and the well shut-in until the return of the fracture stimulation spread in June/July. At that time the remaining target sections in Encounter-1 will be fracture stimulated.
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LNG World News Staff, April 27, 2012; Image: Beach Energy