- 01Early gas flow at Serowe-3.5B; faster dewatering.
- 02Gas flow with ~60m water above seam; strong water prod.
- 03Stimulation boosts seam connectivity; CBM potential
Botala Energy (ASX: BTE) has achieved continuous and steadily increasing gas flow from the Serowe-3.5B appraisal well at its Pitse Pilot in Botswana, with production beginning significantly earlier in the dewatering process than expected.
The well has sustained gas flow for more than four days, including its first continuous flare over 20 and 21 September, as Botala advances testing at its 100%-owned Serowe Coal Bed Methane (CBM) project.
CBM is released as water is progressively removed from a coal seam, reducing reservoir pressure and allowing gas held within the coal to move towards a well.
Gas began flowing while the water level remained about 60 metres above the coal seam, compared with Botala’s expectation that meaningful flow would start only after the level had fallen to around 20m.
Water production has also been substantially higher than from surrounding unstimulated wells, which Botala considers consistent with its stimulation treatment having improved connectivity within the coal seam.
Response Exceeds Expectations
At Serowe-3.5B, the earlier-than-expected gas response with substantially more water remaining above the seam indicates the well has responded sooner in the dewatering cycle than Botala anticipated before testing.
The company has deliberately slowed the lowering of the water level to 3m to 5m per day, prioritising a controlled reduction in reservoir pressure while seeking to protect the stimulated coal pathways and minimise the risk of drawing sand or other material into the well.
Botala will continue reducing the water level over the coming weeks while monitoring gas flow, water production and reservoir response before determining the well’s sustainable production capacity.
“To see gas flowing this early and the water level still high above the coal, it tells us the well is performing better than we planned, and that the stimulation opened up far more of the Serowe coal seam than we first thought,” chief executive officer Kris Martinick said.
“Demonstrating commercial flow rates is the critical step towards developing the broader Serowe CBM project, which is estimated to host a prospective resource of 7.1 trillion cubic feet."
Commercial Flow Test
Serowe-3.5B targets CBM in Mining Licence ML-52, where the Serowe seam was encountered at a depth of 377m and the Upper Morupule seam at 397m, with the two coal seams totalling 23m in thickness.
The stimulation treatment was followed by recovery of stimulation water with no visible returns of proppant, while produced water volumes are to be tested during subsequent flow testing.
The stimulation response is being assessed through the combination of higher water production and earlier gas flow, with Botala seeking to establish whether the improved connectivity can translate into stable commercial gas production.
Further dewatering and production testing remain necessary before the gas rate can be determined, and the company will measure performance against its benchmark of more than 70GJ/day.
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