Work at the well was suspended for 11 months when an uncontrolled gas flow was experienced during routine wireline surveying. The flow took 13 days to bring under control.

On the weekend, workers at the site prepared to run in the hole and kick off after drilling out the suspension cement plug in the well’s original bore, Origin said yesterday.

The well is about 6.5 kilometres north of the Beharra Springs gas processing plant.

Sidetracking the well will evaluate the potential of the Wagina Formation equivalent to the producing horizon at the nearby Beharra Springs and Beharra Springs North gas fields, Origin said.

Tarantula-1 (ST1) will be sidetracked from the original Tarantula-1 bore at about 1240 metres, below the surface casing set in the initial bore.

It will then be deviated to a target bottom hole location about 90m to the south of the Tarantula-1’s bottom hole location.

A hydrocarbon column of an unknown size in the Wagina Formation at 3,219m deep was intersected when Tarantula-1 was drilled in June last year.

Tarantula-1 (ST1) has a planned total depth of about 3320m and is expected to take about 27 days to complete.

L11 and Tarantula-1 participants: Origin Energy Developments (operator and Origin Energy subsidiary) 67% and Arc Energy 33%.