Senex Starts Fracture Stimulation Project Onshore Southern Cooper Basin

Senex Energy, the operator of the onshore PEL 115 permit, disclosed Wednesday that it has started fracture stimulation operations at the Kingston Rule-1 unconventional gas exploration well in the Southern Cooper basin.

The company has also started work over and zone perforation operations at the Hornet-1 well sited in the same permit.
The fracture stimulation program over the wells will be completed over a two-month period, with flow testing to continue into June this year.

Kingston Rule-1 was drilled by Senex late last year and intersected 174 feet (53 meters)of net gas pay, with 30 feet (nine meters) in the Epsilon Formation and 144 feet (44 meters) in the Patchawarra Formation tight gas sands. The well also intersected 492 feet (150 meters) of Murteree and Roseneath Shales. Mud logs confirmed the presence of liquid hydrocarbons throughout the Permian section.

The multi-stage fracture stimulation of Kingston Rule-1 targets tight gas sands within the Patchawarra and Epsilon formations. At present, three of a total six zones have been fracture stimulated with bridge plugs set between each zone. The forward operation will be to fracture stimulate the remaining three zones.

Hornet-1 was drilled by Victoria Petroleum in 2004 and intersected gas shows in the Epsilon Formation and 91 feet (28 meters) of net gas pay in the Patchawarra Formation. Two drill stem tests were conducted on Hornet-1 and resulted in gas flowing to surface. The multi-stage stimulation of Hornet-1 will target additional gas sands within the Patchawarra Formation.

As Hornet-1 was a pre-existing well, a work over rig was brought onto the site, to prepare the well for fracture stimulation and perforate the zones in advance of the fracture stimulation equipment arriving onsite.

"We are very pleased that the stimulation of Kingston Rule-1 has commenced and look forward to evaluating the results, along with those from Hornet-1, over the coming months. There is a lot of interest in the unconventional gas potential which is believed to exist in the Cooper Basin and we are excited to be part of it," Orca Energy's Executive Director, Greg Bandy, said in a statement.

Senex has an 80 percent interest in both of the wells, while Ocra Energy holds the remaining 20 percent stake.