News

Origin/ Geodynamics mobilise rig to spud well for Innamincka project

Origin/ Geodynamics mobilise rig to spud well for Innamincka project Innamincka township, Cooper Basin, Australia (source: Geodynamics)
Alexander Richter 15 Feb 2011

Origin Energy as operator of the Innamincka Shallows JV has accepted Rig 100 of Geodynamics to commence moving to project site at Celsius 1, to spud first HSA exploration well.

In a release, Australian “Geodynamics Limited announces that Origin, as Operator of the Innamincka ‘Shallows’ Joint Venture (‘Shallows’), has formally accepted Rig 100 and plans to commence moving it to the Celsius 1 location once weather and road conditions permit.

As previously announced, mobilisation of the rig to spud the first Hot Sedimentary Aquifer (HSA) exploration well was delayed following extensive local rainfall in the Cooper Basin region, along with further predicted flooding of the Cooper Creek originating from the Thompson and Barcoo catchment areas. While the flood waters are now passing through and have not impacted the Celsius 1 and Celsius 2 locations, localised rain in the past week has restricted vehicle access to the sites.

The initial exploratory work for the Shallows program includes drilling and testing two wells, Celsius 1 and Celsius 2, to a depth of approximately 2,200 m. The wells are designed to assess the viability of geothermal energy production from HSA in the Eromanga Basin. The HSA exploration project provides increased generation potential from the Company’s Cooper Basin assets and is complementary to the ‘Deeps’ Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) development.

A joint venture update will be made to the market once drilling of Celsius 1 has commenced.

The impact of the rain delay on the Innamincka Deeps work program has been reviewed in detail. Assuming no further significant rain events, the delays to date have not materially impacted the activities of the Innamincka Deeps Joint Venture.”

Source: Company release via Origin release (pdf)