Real Energy secures major oilfield services company for Windorah gas development
Real Energy has appointed global oilfield services company Halliburton Australia to undertake fracture stimulation at the company’s Tamarama-2 and 3 wells located in the Cooper Basin, Queensland.
Oil and gas explorer Real Energy (ASX: RLE) has engaged one of the world’s largest oilfield service companies, US-founded Halliburton to undertake a fracture stimulation program at its Windorah gas resources in Queensland.
The Cooper Basin-focused company today announced its appointment of Halliburton Australia, the Australian division of the global fracking giant, with the two-week operations scheduled to kick off in late September.
The multi-stage fracking program will target the Toolachee-Patchawarra formation sections at depths below 2300m in both the Tamarama-2 and Tamarama-3 wells, located in Real Energy’s 100%-owned exploration permit ATP 927P.
Real Energy managing director Scott Brown said the upcoming program would further build on the excellent results the company has achieved at the project to date.
“The well stimulation of Tamarama-2 and Tamarama-3 is an important step for the company as we move towards commercialising our gas resources in the Queensland Cooper Basin,” he said.
“We believe we will be able to prove commercial flow rates with these wells, which will form the basis for a more aggressive field development program,” Brown added.
He said he believed the company was “well-placed to take full advantage” of the growing demand for gas in Australia’s east coast.
Real Energy today also confirmed it has ordered the necessary equipment and long-lead items required to undertake the stimulation program.
Fracture stimulation program
Real Energy had previously contracted Halliburton for a five-stage fracking program at its maiden exploration well, Tamarama-1, in 2016.
The well then commenced flow testing and as at March 2018, variable flow rates were reportedly ranging between 500,000 and 2 million cubic feet of gas per day.
Pilot development wells Tamarama-2 and Tamarama-3, the two wells being stimulated by Halliburton in the upcoming program, were drilled in the first half of this year.
Drilling at Tamarama-2 hit a net gas pay of 35m over a 90m logged interval within the Toolachee-Patchawarra formation, while a combined net pay of 59m was encountered over a 171m section at Tamarama-3.
According to Real Energy, the latest fracking program has been designed utilising “alignment flow technology”.
This involves new well designs expected to enhance productivity through better alignment of the wellbore, perforations and the hydraulic fracture with the prevailing stress direction.
Real Energy is anticipating initial pilot production from its three Tamarama wells in 2019.
The company’s Windorah gas project, which hosts the wells, has been estimated to hold a prospective resource of 13.7 trillion cubic feet of gas-in-place.