Courtesy Beach Energy's "FY25 Half Year Results" presentation
Preparations continue for a drilling campaign in the Otway Basin offshore southeast Australia, Beach Energy said in a results update.
The semisub Transocean Equinox mobilized to Victoria in March and is currently conducting a program for another operator in the rig consortium.
Beach expects to receive the rig to start work on its campaign in late 2025. This will initially include P&A of the Geographe 1 and Thylacine 1 wells as well as drilling the Hercules 1 exploration well, a three-way fault bound structure that could hold 100 Bcf of gas in the Waarre C reservoir.
The location is 5 km south of the Artisan accumulation in the offshore VIC/P431 permit. A successful outcome could de-risk other nearby prospects.
Following completion of this program, the focus will switch to subsea development and well connections, with first gas targeted in 2028.
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Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.