Buru spuds Rafael 1 well

Buru Energy has spudded the Rafael 1 conventional oil exploration well in the Canning Basin, Western Australia.

The company spud the well on Sunday, August 22 in exploration permit EP428, which is located 50km east of the Ungani Oilfield and 150km east of Broome.

The Rafael 1 well is being drilled on a large structure that is well defined by a modern 2D seismic grid.

It has over 450 metres of mapped closure and is a large regional structure that is interpreted to have similarities to Devonian aged carbonate structures in Western Canada that are very large and prolific oil producers.

The top of the objective section is expected to be encountered below 3600m.

The Rafael 1 well is the second well in the exploration program under the terms one the farming agreement executed in December last year, under which Buru will be carried for $16 million of the cost of the drilling of the two exploration wells in the program.

The first well in the program, Currajong 1, encountered an interpreted oil accumulation in the Ungani Dolomite equivalent section.

Testing of the various zones encountered in the Currajong 1 well is expected to commence in the coming weeks when the required additional equipment arrives on site.

Buru chairman Eric Streitberg said the company is very excited to be finally drilling the Rafael 1 well.

“The Rafael prospect has a large geologically highly prospective target that could be transformational for Buru and for Western Australia’s oil sufficiency,” he said.

“The Ensign 963 rig that is drilling the Rafael 1 well has performed well on the previous Currajong 1 well, and the inter-well move form the Currajong to Rafael was completed on time and budget with no incidents.”

Streitberg said the company is looking forward to the commencement of the Currajong 1 test program which is aimed at validating it interpretation of the well data and confirming if it has encoded an oil accumulation.

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