Drilling on the Arc-operated Evandra-1 well started on Tuesday using the Century 11 drilling rig. Yesterday morning the current operation was preparing to drill ahead after running 245mm casing to 598 metres. The 311mm hole was drilled to 600 metres.

The well is located about 12.5km south-east of the town of Dongara and 3km south-east of the Jingemia oil field.

The depth to the prognosed top of the primary objective Dongara Sandstone is about 2,203 metres measured depth. The proposed total depth of the well is 2,260 metres measured depth and it is expected to take 13 days to drill on a dry-hole basis.

Participants in L1 and L2 (excluding the Dongara, Mondarra and Yardarino fields) and Evandra-1 are Arc Energy (operator) 50% and Origin Energy Developments Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Origin Energy Limited) 50%.

Meanwhile, at 6am yesterday morning operator Origin Energy was working on the Tarantula-1 Sidetrack 1 (Tarantula-1ST1) well, drilling ahead at 3,253 metres in the Wagina Formation.

Preliminary results indicate that the Wagina Formation was intersected at a measured depth of 3,204 metres, about 5 metres low to Tarantula-1. Gas shows in interpreted good quality reservoir sands have been encountered over a minimum of nine metres. The well will now be drilled to a total depth of about 3,330 metres and wireline logs will be run.

Participants in L11 and Tarantula 1 are: Origin Energy Developments Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Origin Energy Limited) -67% and Arc Energy 33%.