Origin Energy's Kupe production station with Mt. Taranaki.

Second well spudded in Beetaloo

Australia

DARWIN, September 8, 2015 – Australian exploration and production company Origin Energy spudded the second well in the Beetaloo Basin, their partner Falcon Oil and Gas reported in a Tuesday press release.

The joint venture between Origin (35 percent), South African operator Sasol (35 percent), and Australian company Falcon Oil and Gas (30 percent) is targeting the Middle Velkerri formation about 2,700 metres down. The second well, named Amungee NW-1, will take between 25 and 50 days to drill.

This follows news that the joint venture company struck gas on September 1. Kalala S-1, first spudded on July 14, 2015, is the company’s first of three exploration wells scheduled for the Kalala field. Amungee NW-1 is being drilled 25 kilometres to the east of the first well.

“We were hoping for good thick plays and we found multiple good, thicker-than-expected plays,” Falcon CEO Philip O’Quigley had said upon Kalala S-1’s discovery.

Falcon has estimated recoverable reserves at the basin of up to 2.7 billion barrels of oil and and 2.11 tcm (74.5 tcf) of gas.

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