Strike hits gas in secondary targets at West Erregulla 3

Strike Energy (ASX:STX) has received support for its geological model in the North Perth Basin, Western Australia, with its West Erregulla 3 well intersecting 6m of net gas pay in the Dongara and Upper Wagina sandstones.

Initial logging while drilling data indicated that the gas pay has an average porosity of 10.6 per cent within a 150m sequence of naturally fractured, low porosity gas-charged sands.

Further wireline logging and testing will be required to determine the materiality of these sands, which are shallower than the primary target Kingia and High Cliff sandstones.

The company noted that the early observations are similar to other conventional Dongara and Wagina discoveries throughout the Perth Basin.

It will now drill ahead to the Upper Kingia before adding further measuring and logging tools to the bottom hole assembly ahead of the final push towards the primary targets.

Strike’s gas push

West Erregaulla 3 is the first of three appraisal wells that Strike is drilling in the West Erregulla field.

It will be drilled to test the continuation of the commercial gas accumulation in the northern fault block while the following West Erregulla 4 and 5 wells will appraise the reservoir distribution in the central fault block.

After various coring and logging operations all three wells will be flow tested (on success) and completed as future producers across the Kingia and High Cliff sequences for the proposed Phase 1 production operations.

The highly successful West Erregulla-2 well flowed 69 million standard cubic feet of gas per day during testing. That ignited interest in the gas potential of the Perth Basin.

Following its West Erregulla wells, Strike’s gas ambitions will continue with the drilling of the Walyering-5 appraisal well with Talon Petroleum (ASX:TPD).

This well will test an in-place best estimate prospective resource net to Talon of up to 38.7 billion cubic feet of gas and 0.98 million barrels of condensate.