Bohena-4L was drilled to a true vertical depth of 892m and 400m of horizontal section through the target nine metre thick Bohena coal seam, within the Bohena Pilot Area. A subsurface pump has been installed in the well, and production testing, including continuous monitoring of gas and water production rates through a gas separator, will commence later this week.

Bohena-4L forms an integral part of the Gunnedah Gas Project reserves certification process within the 260sq.km Bohena Project Area, aimed at proving up sufficient proved and probable reserves (1P and 2P) for entering gas sales contracts.

The Bohena Project Area contains up to 3,700PJ (3.7 trillion cubic feet) gas in place within both the Late Permian Black Jack Formation and the Early Permian Maules Creek Formation coal seams.

The drilling rig has now moved from the site to the Coonarah Gas Field, where Coonarah-6L, a horizontal well targeting additional conventional gas reserves in the Triassic Digby reservoir, was spudded on Tuesday.

Coonarah-6L is the first conventional petroleum exploration and appraisal well to be drilled in PEL 238 this year (ESG 100%), targeting undeveloped gas reserves in the Early Triassic Digby Formation on the western side of the Coonarah Gas Field.

The target reservoir, at a depth of 500m, tested gas at commercial rates in the Coonarah-1 well, on the western culmination of the field. The surface location of Coonarah-6L is approximately 600m north of the existing Coonarah-1B Maules Creek Formation gas production well, and the well will drill up to 600m horizontally in a southerly direction through the Digby Formation towards the Coonarah-1 location.

On successful completion, the well will be tied into the existing gas pipeline gathering system via a 600m spur line, and provide additional gas feed for the recently completed 12MW Wilga Park Power Station.