EPR has said the results of Henry-1 support the concept behind EPR’s prospects in licence VIC/P46.

“We believe the Waarre Formation sands, flanking the large structures in the VIC/P46, have an excellent chance of containing commercial hydrocarbons in good quality reservoirs,” said EPR managing director John Remfry.

Last week, the Casino partners – operator Santos (50%), Australian Worldwide Exploration (25%), and Mitsui subsidiary, Mittwell Energy Resources (25%) – confirmed the Henry-1 wildcat well as a major new field gas discovery, with a gas column of at least 250m.

AWE said the well was purposely drilled down-dip from the crest of the Henry structure, and pressure data together with 3D seismic indicated a gas column of at least 250m.

The Waarre sandstone reservoir was of sufficient quality that a production test was not considered necessary to prove deliverability for a commercial development.

Remfry said the good quality sands encountered at Henry-1 – about 8.5km north-west of the Casino gas field in Vic/P44 – meant there were now three gas fields on the flanks of the Pecten High.

In addition to Casino, Martha, and now Henry, other prospects have been delineated for future drilling, and EPR has prospects in the central part of the Otway Basin in a similar geological setting in VIC/P46.

Remfry added that EPR’s work in the Voluta Trough (VIC/P46) had focused on the Normanby structure.

The 1986 Normanby-1 well, while plugged and abandoned, had good shows of gas, and EPR believed reservoir quality was likely to improve down-dip, as was shown to be the case in Casino. The recovery of gas at Normanby-1 was significant for the down-dip hydrocarbon potential of the structure.

Seismic acquired on the northern flank of the Normanby structure indicated the presence of strata similar in age and seismic character to the high quality upper Waarre Formation sandstones identified in Casino and other fields.

EPR said recent wells targeting the Waarre Formation on or near the crests of structures in the offshore central Otway Basin had been unsuccessful due to the absence of quality reservoir sandstones.

Henry-1 and the Casino wells had shown the Waarre sands to be better developed in positions that flanked structural highs, and EPR believed this also applied to its large prospects in VIC/P46.