A drilling rig has been secured and will be mobilised to the Coonarah Gas Field in PPL 3, northern NSW in early March.

Two new development wells, Coonarah-7 and Coonarah-8, will be drilled in order to increase gas deliverability from the conventional gas reservoir and feed the expanded 12 MW Wilga Park Power Station. The company said it aimed to maximise project cash flows early with successful completion of these wells.

Not far away, at PEL 238 in the Gunnedah Basin, a detailed review of existing leads and prospects is being conducted in order to locate new seismic data and select drilling locations targeting conventional natural gas reservoirs.

“Two exploration wells are planned following the acquisition of 100 kilometres new seismic in the area and success could see further expansion of the Wilga Park Power Station,” Eastern Star said in a statement.

To the north, Eastern Star Gas has delineated the Willaroo prospect in PEL 6, a 5,872 square kilometre permit that straddles the Bowen and Surat Basins and lies near Goondiwindi just south of the Queensland-NSW border.

In Queensland both basins contain oil, conventional gas and coal-bed methane. Eastern Star Gas has delineated more than 20 square kilometres of mapped closure at the main target Early Permian horizon.

“The exploration well, Willaroo-1, is planned to test targets in the Jurassic Precipice Sandstone, Triassic Moolayember Formation and the Permian Back Creek Group,” Eastern Star said.

“The company is seeking partners to share the risk on this 3,000 metre well.”

To the west, in PELs 8, 422 and 424 in the Darling Basin, Eastern Star is eyeing frontier exploration areas strategically located abreast of the Moomba-Sydney gas pipeline that it classes as high risk/high reward.

The licences cover an area of 17,000 square kilometres and are about 700km west-north-west of Sydney.

“Following the 110 kilometres seismic acquired last year, the company has delineated three large prospects and is planning on drilling exploration wells on each of these prospects, subject to appropriate rig availability,” Eastern Star said.

“The company is seeking partners to share the risk on these wells.”