Strike Energy said that the Southern Cooper Basin Gas Project appraisal drilling program has been successfully completed.The results obtained from the Le Chiffre 1 and Klebb 1 wells have materially de-risked key parameters underpinning project resource and cost estimates ahead of the next stage of the project’s commercialisation.

The Klebb 1 well was drilled to a total depth of 2,193m and cased using premium casing to allow for future fracture stimulation and flow testing. Wireline logs have shown over 145m of net coal was encountered in the well. In particular, 89m of coal was observed in the Patchawarra Formation, including one continuous 34m thick seam and two other seams each over 15m thick. Notable increases in gas readings were recorded while drilling through coals encountered in the well. The increase in gas readings with depth was consistent to that observed in the Le Chiffre 1 well.

A comprehensive completion, testing and production optimisation program is currently being developed. The program’s main objective is to determine a development plan for the resource and will involve a series of drilling, completion and production trials to optimise project economics.

As gas is already being successfully produced from deeper Cooper Basin coals after fracture stimulation, the first trial under the program will involve a fracture stimulation and production test at both LeChiffre 1 and Klebb 1 during Q2 2014. Planning and environmental assessments for this program are well advanced.

Results from the initial production trial will then underpin further technology and production testing to optimise project economics.Managing Director David Wrench said: “We are very encouraged by the results from our initial Southern Cooper Basin drilling program, which have exceeded our pre-drill expectations.

“The Le Chiffre 1 and Klebb 1 wells have confirmed both the presence and continuity of a thick gas saturated coal system in PEL 96 and provide the foundation for production testing as the next step in the development of the Southern Cooper Basin Gas Project.“Recent advances in fracture stimulation techniques have led to improved gas flows from coals deeper in the Cooper Basin and have increased our confidence in the productive potential of the extensive, shallower coals we have discovered in PEL 96.”