The well participants, which include Great Artesian Oil and Gas, Enterprise Energy, Magellan, Beach Petroleum and Rawson Resources, said Udacha-1 reached a total depth of 2728 metres in the Merrimelia Formation on Saturday, February 4.

Operator Beach is now running a second inflate-straddle drillstem test (DST-1A) over the interval 2482.5-2488m, after DST-1 over the same interval was aborted due to tool malfunction.

Udacha-1 is about 12km northwest of the Moonanga gas field and 17km east of the Sellicks oil field. The well was drilled in a unit area straddling the PEL 91 and PEL 106 boundary, with the well just inside PEL 91.

The Udacha prospect is primarily a Permian oil and gas play, with the potential to hold P10 reserves of up to 2.3 million barrels of recoverable oil, or 10.5 billion cubic feet of gas.

The well will test the hydrocarbon potential of a faulted anticlinical closure at the Patchawarra level. Secondary potential existed in the Tolachee and Epsilon formations and Tirrawarra Sandstone, according to Beach.

The Udacha Prospect is subject to a number of farmins, with Great Artesian’s interest in the well is fully funded by farminees.

Upon a commercial discovery, participants in Udacha-1 are: operator Beach Petroleum (15%), Great Artesian Oil and Gas (32.5%) Magellan Petroleum Australia (30%), Enterprise Energy (12.5%) and Rawson Resources (10%).