Greymouth has just announced a 2003 work program, including linking the controversial Goldie-1 oil discovery to the nearby Kaimiro production station, for the onshore Taranaki Ngatoro field.

The Auckland-headquartered company says construction activities are due to start this week on the new pipelines linking the Ngatoro A and B well sites into the Kaimiro production station, as well as linking in the Goldie-1 oil well into the station. Greymouth also plans a new development well within the Ngatoro mining licence PEP 38148 in which it holds a 59.57% interest.

In addition, after Easter the company plans to re-enter the old Moturoa-2 oil well, near Port Taranaki, New Plymouth, as part of a detailed appraisal program designed to gather information ahead of the second stage development of that field.

This echoes former operator GeoSphere Exploration's visions of resurrection glory for New Zealand's first commercial field. GeoSphere and its then partners re-entered the Moturoa-1 well, also near the port, several years ago and the well has been producing small amounts of crude since.

Greymouth has also proposed, subject to approval of the other Ngatoro parties New Zealand Oil and Gas and Indo-Pacific Energy, sidetracking the Tabla-1 well, which encountered a 10m gross hydrocarbon-bearing interval below 1419 metres within the Eocene-aged Mt Messenger formation last December.

Indo-Pacific chief executive Dave Bennett told EnergyReview.Net that he would be delighted if Greymouth would satisfactorily finalise a contract for the purchase and processing of Goldie oil and associated gas.

Greymouth Petroleum and Indo-Pacific Energy have just finished a 2½ week High Court battle for control of the Goldie oil field, which was drilled on a sole risk basis by Indo-Pacific subsidiary Ngatoro Energy Ltd in March 2001. The well produced over 220,000 barrels of sweet light crude from March 2001 until it was shut in last September.