History
Buru Energy turned a Mitsubishi-backed Canning Basin search into the Ungani oil field and the Rafael gas discovery, but fell back on ever-cheaper small raisings to fund Rafael.
2009-2011: Mitsubishi and the search for a field
Buru began its record in 2009 by issuing 18,000,000 shares to buy a partner's interests in Canning Basin exploration permits, and founding Managing Director Adrian Cook handed over to a new board line-up that October. In 2010 it started a six-well drilling campaign, and in June signed a farm-in worth up to $152.4 million with Mitsubishi Corporation. Mitsubishi could earn up to 50% of most of Buru's exploration permits by paying exploration and development costs. Not every well worked: Stokes Bay-1 found only water. In 2011 Valhalla-2 hinted at a large wet-gas system, independent reviews put big numbers on the basin's gas potential, and Ungani-1ST1 flowed light oil at up to 1,647 barrels a day. Buru called it the first significant onshore Western Australian oil discovery since 2001. A $17.81 million placement at $0.65 a share followed.
2012-2014: Ungani oil and a gas bet
A $50 million placement at $3.00 a share in June 2012 funded an expanded program. Ungani's extended production test began that month, and by September the company put mobile oil at a minimum of 8 million barrels. Drilling at Valhalla North-1, Paradise-1, Yulleroo-3 and Asgard-1 pointed to a regional basin-centred gas accumulation (gas held in tight rock across a wide area). In September Buru agreed to buy Gujarat NRE Oil for $36 million, backed by a roughly $40 million placement at $2.75, and in 2013 it sold down the Fitzroy Blocks to Mitsubishi and Rey Resources for about $21 million. A $35 million placement at $1.65 in August 2013 was part of a package of over $100 million. Ungani oil began flowing to export in December 2013 and February 2014. Leadership shifted: Keiran Wulff became Managing Director, then left in July 2014, and in May shareholders voted against the pay report. A $28 million placement at $0.75 followed in September 2014, with Coogee Chemicals taking $20 million.
2015-2018: Commercial production and the Roc deal
Native title agreements and production licences cleared the way, and commercial production started at Ungani in July 2015, the Canning Basin's first since 1981. A court also ruled in Buru's favour on the royalty dispute. Exploration was less kind: Praslin 1, Victory 1 and Senagi 1 found no commercial oil, though Ungani Far West 1 tested well. Laurel tight-gas wells flowed gas with high liquids content. Production was later paused and restarted in June 2017. In May 2017 Buru swapped assets with Mitsubishi's subsidiaries to take 100% of the Ungani licences. A rights issue at $0.15 raised about $13.8 million. In 2018 Roc Oil paid $64 million for half of Ungani and funded part of a farm-in on other permits. Ungani 4 underperformed and was sidetracked, and Ungani West 1 found no producible oil.
2019-2021: Horizontal wells and a new push
In 2019 Buru moved to horizontal wells at Ungani. Ungani 7H went cleanly, but Ungani 6H was left unfinished after mechanical failures, and Adoxa 1 and Miani-1 gave no commercial result. Roc left the exploration permits at the end of 2019. COVID-19 brought deep cost cuts in 2020, and Origin Energy agreed in December to carry costs on seven Canning Basin permits. In 2021 Buru raised about $16 million, its first raising from outside its existing base since 2014. Currajong 1 was water-bearing, but Rafael 1 found a 165m gas column.
2022-2023: Rafael discovery and Ungani shut
Rafael 1 flowed up to 7.6 million cubic feet of gas a day, and ERCE certified about 1.02 trillion cubic feet of gas and 20.5 million barrels of condensate. A rights issue at $0.16 raised about $9.2 million. Thomas Nador became CEO. Origin then said it would exit, and in February 2023 Buru bought back its stake. Ex-Cyclone Ellie cut the export route in January 2023 and Ungani was shut, restarting in May. Operations were suspended after a final lifting in August, and Roc handed back its half. A $5 million placement at 11.5 cents, plus a Share Purchase Plan taking the total to about $8.7 million, followed.
2024-2026: Squeezed funds, one focus
Rafael 3D seismic improved confidence. Buru agreed farm-ins with Sabre Energy, then terminated them in September 2024 when Sabre failed to meet funding obligations. A $6.7 million placement at 6.2 cents followed. Rafael Shallow 1 found no moveable hydrocarbons. A business review cut headcount by 40% and costs by about $3 million a year, and Buru sold or exited Battmin, Barbwire Terrace and 2H Resources. David Maxwell succeeded Eric Streitberg as Chair. In 2025 Buru signed a development agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Australia, cash fell to $2.3 million at mid-year, and a raising at 2.0 cents brought in about $2.35 million. In December 2025 Buru said it was running a global process to find a funding partner for the roughly $40 million Rafael program. In April 2026 Nador resigned for health reasons, and a placement of about 355 million shares raised about $5.3 million. Shares on issue reached 1,358,660,440. By August 2026 Buru had raised Ungani's remaining oil estimate to 660,000 barrels while the field stayed in care and maintenance.
Written from the 310 story beats below (2009 to 19 Aug 2026), which come from the company's own announcements and filings.