The company said it usually takes about 13 days to for coal seam methane wells achieve flow rates of this magnitude on the Undulla Nose Formation.

“These results are better than prognosed and confirms that the gas province extends north of the Condamine River,” QGC managing director Richard Cottee said.

Located in Surat Basin permit ATP610P, the Bellevue CSM pilot is structurally updip and 16km north of QGC’s Berwyndale South gas field. Bellevue-5 was the first well to be completed at the project.

Following the positive results at Bellevue, Cottee said his company is investing about $900,000 to acquire nearly 1000 hectares of freehold land northwest of the pilot.

The land, known as “the Waldron Property”, takes QGC’s total land holdings in the Surat Basin to 4200ha.

Cottee said the land fronts the Warrego Highway and the railway line, which was the preferred path for QGC’s proposed 152km high-pressure gas pipeline to the Wallumbilla hub.

“[This makes] it an ideal site for connection to the Berwyndale south gas field,” he said.

The Wallumbilla hub connects pipelines that transport and supply gas throughout the eastern and southern states’ markets.

Cottee said the acquisition was part of a plan to select strategic locations in the Surat Basin to maximise the company’s “competitive opportunities and facilitate rapid development”.

“QGC has established the policy of acquiring key parcels of freehold land within its developing gas fields, which has proved to enable rapid development,” he said.

“We have done this to date by purchasing ‘Wambo Down South’ (Argyle gas field, PL229), ‘Windibri’ (Berwyndale gas field, PL201) and ‘Van Renen’ (IPL Project, PLA180). The purchase of the Waldron Property underpins the development of the Bellevue gas field on ATP610P.”

He said the Waldron property could also be a suitable location for a reverse osmosis water plant and the Condamine Power Station as it is near the proposed Cameby Downs and Sefton Downs coal mines, both of which will require water and electricity for operation.

“The excellent location of the Waldron Property gives QGC a number of options to develop our business,” Cottee said.