The Perth-based company yesterday said the sidetrack has consequently been plugged and abandoned and the Parker Rig-122 has begun moving operations to the next location in the drilling program.
“We are obviously disappointed in the results of the testing and sampling program,” managing director Mike Bell said.
“It will take us some time to evaluate the data and determine the impact on the rest of our prospect inventory.
“During that time, we will focus our drilling program on the shallow prospects in the inventory, with wells on Wilson, El Mar and Dunn Deep.”
Golden Gate said a fourth shallow zone behind the 7-inch liner, where indications of a gas-bearing zone were recorded over an approximate interval of 25 feet (7.62m), remains to be tested.
A workover rig, beginning over the next six weeks, will now test this.
The company said Parker Rig-122 is now being mobilised to the Wilson Prospect, the Kindee ST 949-1 well, further north on Padre Island.
This well will test prospective zones in the upper Frio system, at similar depths to Golden gate’s current production at La Playa Deep and Shallow to the north, and Dunn Peach-6 to the south.
