Jingemia-6 is 133m north-east of the Jingemia-2 surface location and about 760m north of the Jingemia oil production facility.

The primary target is the Late Permian Dongara Sandstone, the main oil-producing horizon at the Jingemia and adjacent Hovea and Eremia oil fields.

Jingemia-6 will be drilled as a directional well to intersect the prognosed oil-bearing Dongara Sandstone roughly 540m north-north-east of the surface location at or near the interpreted crest of the Jingemia Field at a depth of about 2355m measured depth.

The well has a planned total depth of about 2474m and is expected to take 20 days to drill, case and complete, according to Victoria Petroleum managing director John Kopcheff.

“The successful drilling of this well and its completion for production will enable production at the Jingemia Oil Field to return to previous targeted field production level of 4000 barrels of oil per day to capitalise on the current high oil prices,” he said.

“Oil production at this level will restore the significant net cash flow the field was providing prior to the recent shut-in of the Jingemia-4 oil producer to install artificial lift and carry out down-hole remedial operations, currently in progress.”

Based on the seismic 3D mapping of the Jingemia Structure and the field’s production history, the field was interpreted to have the potential to contain up to 11 million barrels of recoverable oil, subject to further development drilling, Kopcheff said.

Participants in Production Licence L14 and Jingemia-6 are: Origin Energy Developments Pty Ltd (Operator) 49.189%, Arc Energy Limited 33.141%, Voyager (PB) Limited 11%, Victoria Petroleum 5%, Norwest Energy NL 1.278%, Roc Oil Pty Ltd 0.25%, and J K Geary 0.142%.