“Fraccing was always planned as a phase two operation, so this program has been in the pipeline for some time. We have also had to wait for some of the equipment to arrive from New Zealand, but now we are ready and hoping for some good results,” said Amity managing director Howard Mclaughlin.

The entire operation is expected to take around a month, however, the JV partners expect there will be indications of success or otherwise as each of the five sandstone zones are stimulated.

“If the initial program is successful we will go back in and frac the number one and four wells,” added Mclaughlin.

Due to the induced fractures propagating not only outwards from the well bore, but also vertically, almost all the potential gas zones (approximately 75%) intersected in the well will be affected to some degree and have their permeability enhanced, if successful.

Diesel fuel will be pumped into the formations at very high pressures until the fractures are initiated and pumping will continue until the fractures propagate to about 100m from the well bore.

Each zone will take about five days to frac and cleanup, and a final clean up flow from all the zones together will be conducted for at least four days after the frac operation is complete.

A very hard and coarse grained proppant will be pumped into each fracture during the operation to hold the fractures open after the pressure is released. This methodology is being used successfully overseas, particularly in the United States to induce commercial production from reservoirs with low permeability.

The favourable location of the field, about 35 kilometres south-west of the southern end of the main gas pipeline from the North-West Shelf, means it can compete on price and transport tariffs with gas from the North-West-Shelf.

A gas supply from Whicher Range would be strategically advantageous for Perth and the South-West, by reducing dependence on the long single pipeline from the North-West-Shelf.

“A large supply of gas in the south west would be a real boon for not only the region but the whole state as it would reduce the dependency on gas being shipped through the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.

“It would also negate some of the reasoning attached to proposals for the building of a second pipeline,” said Mclaughlin.

Participant interests in the field are Amity 47.957% (operator), Korea National Oil Corporation 20%, Seoul City Gas Company, 15% GeoPetro Resources Company 17.043%.