The first preview of these new blocks will be offered at this year’s Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Farm-in Seminar to be held on the Gold Coast before the 2006 APPEA conference.
Western Canning Basin
The department says its two Canning Basin release areas encompass prime acreage with proven source rock potential, favourable reservoir development and large, seismically mappable structures.
“The Ordovician Goldwyer Formation is an excellent source and is mature for hydrocarbon generation over much of the release areas,” the department says.
“Basin fill is essentially Palaeozoic and there are pre-salt (Ordovician) and post-salt (Devonian sandstones and reef carbonates, and Permian sandstones) targets.”
The areas cover parts of the central Broome Platform and the Willara Sub-basin. The sizes of the blocks are 5999 square kilometres and 5092sq.km, respectively. The sealed Great Northern Highway passes through the release areas, connecting the areas with the port of Broome.
The release areas have had 1000km of 2D seismic reprocessed by Robertson Research with significant improvement in data quality. RPS Energy has prepared a prospectivity report, and several leads have been mapped and scoping economics calculated using basic Monte Carlo volumetrics. Relatively small oil accumulations may be commercial, according to the department.
Northern Carnarvon Basin
The five State Waters Carnarvon Basin release areas lie mainly in the Barrow Sub-basin, an area noted for its oil production.
“The Barrow Sub-basin is characterised by good Mesozoic source rocks which have generated hydrocarbons over a long time, Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks with excellent porosity and permeability, and a thick and effective regional seal (Muderong Shale),” the department says.
There is a good coverage of seismic in the release areas. Four blocks cover 80sq.km each; the remaining block covers 721sq.km. Water depths are less than 50m.
Perth Basin
The 810sq.km northern Perth Basin release area is 9km west of the Gingin gas discovery and 8km east of the Walyering gas discovery.
The main target is Jurassic sandstones (Yarragadee Formation and Cattamarra Coal Measures). The undercapacity Parmelia gas pipeline and a sealed highway connect south to the Perth metropolitan area and the Kwinana oil refinery respectively.
The 662sq.km southern Perth Basin release area is 25km south of the Whicher Range gas accumulation. Within the release area, gas shows were encountered at Scott River-1. The main target is Upper Permian sandstones (Willespie Formation).
The PESA Farm-in Seminar will be held on May 7 in Meeting Room 5 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland.
Company representatives will outline the technical and commercial aspects of their opportunities via short audiovisual presentations. There will be time during and after the seminar to discuss additional details with interested parties in private.
Registration fees are $180 for viewers.
These fees also include a copy of the PESA 2006 Farm-in Seminar Report CD (containing details of all proposals presented), morning coffee and lunch, including drinks.
To attend as a viewer, register online (www.pesansw.com) by May 4.
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