The Bligh-1 well (WA-191P) is located about 10km east of the Mutineer discovery and is targeting an upside oil resource potential of 50 million barrels.

Santos said it will be drilled by the SEDCO 703 rig in water depths of around 156m and should take about three weeks to complete. The well will test the same reservoir (Angel Formation Sandstones) as encountered in the Mutineer/Exeter discoveries.

As for Mutineer-3 and Exeter-3, the appraisal wells will be drilled back to back in mid-October to optimise a development plan for the Mutineer and Exeter fields, according to Santos.

The second confirmed oil exploration well, Immortelle-1, is also scheduled to spud in mid-October. The well is also within the Carnarvon Basin but located south of Barrow Island in the TP/7(1) permit. Santos said it regards the prospect as a moderate risk oil target with gross upside potential of 30 million barrels of oil.

Santos' managing director, John Ellice-Flint, said today that the Carnarvon Basin was a focus for the company's offshore exploration program and is one of the key project areas for delivering future growth for Santos. He added the two exploration wells combined are targeting gross potential oil reserves up to 80 million barrels.

Santos has interests in five producing fields in the Carnarvon Basin. The latest program is part of Santos' second half exploration program which will see up to 17 wells drilled worldwide in the next six months compared with six drilled in the first half of this year.

Interest holders in WA-191P are Santos (operator) 33.4%, Kufpec 33.4%, Nippon 25% and Woodside 8.2%. As for TP/7(1), the interest holders are Santos (operator) 43.71%, Apache 39.66%, Mobil 12.47% and Pan Pacific Petroleum 4.16%.