Meanwhile, the 12-well oil exploration, appraisal, and development campaign in the Cooper Basin Western Flank continued with one oil exploration well and two oil appraisal wells drilled during the quarter. However, drilling activities were delayed as of mid-February with severe rainfall impacting road access, impeding drilling activities for the remainder of the quarter.
The appraisal and development campaign recommenced in mid-April after road access was restored. The Stunsail West 1 exploration well was drilled to a total depth of 2,019 meters and encountered oil in the primary Namur and secondary McKinlay and Birkhead reservoirs.
An oil-water contact in the Namur reservoir was consistent with the Stunsail field approximately one kilometre to the west, suggesting a continuous oil accumulation between the fields. The company claims that follow-up appraisal activity is being assessed to derisk a greater Stunsail development campaign.
The Kangaroo 5 oil appraisal well targeted the Birkhead reservoir approximately 700 meters north of Kangaroo 1. The well intersected 1.5 meters of net oil pay and proved communication with the offset oil producer, Kangaroo 1. Kangaroo 5 is to be fracture stimulated and completed as a water injection well to maximise field recovery.
Kangaroo 6 targeted the Birkhead reservoir and encountered 7 meters of net oil pay. The well was cased and suspended and is planned to be completed and connected in Q4 FY26. The remainder of the campaign includes six oil development wells in the Bauer, Kalladeina, Spitfire, and Stunsail fields and one contingent Kalladeina oil well.
Due to the weather delays during the quarter, it is expected that four of the remaining six wells will be drilled in FY26, with the remaining two wells to be drilled in FY27, followed by an oil exploration campaign.
Brett Woods , Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Beach Energy, commented: “We continued drilling the oil appraisal and development campaign in the Western Flank with a further three successful wells cased and suspended, before nearly 400mm of rain hampered road access from mid-February. Fortunately, access has now been restored, and the campaign is once again underway.”
Beach and its joint venture partner, Santos, were awarded three exploration blocks, including ATP 2078, 2079, and 2080 in south-west Queensland, spanning approximately 7,000 square kilometers of prospective acreage. The joint venture intends to acquire multiple new seismic surveys across the three blocks.
The acquisition is likely to start in FY27 with a potential exploration drilling campaign slated to kick off in FY28, leveraging existing knowledge of prospective plays and incorporating new seismic data when available.