24 July 2008drilling progress report▼ Bad
Blamore 1 remains at 2,128m with stuck pipe; the crew is preparing to run a backoff shot. No new oil shows. CBM wells 93001 and 107001 are still planned after Blamore.
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23 July 2008drilling progress report▼ Bad
Blamore 1 reached 2,128m with drill pipe stuck downhole, and crews were preparing to back off the stuck section before fishing it out. Central planned CBM wells 93001 and 107001 after Blamore 1, expecting similar coals updip; no new oil shows.
22 July 2008drilling progress report▲ Good
Blamore 1 reached 2,126m in the upper Crown Point/Tirrawarra interval, with about 87m of cumulative coal. A consultant's preliminary view says the coals suggest good permeability and potential for large coal seam gas, supporting the CBM programme. Not a result.
21 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is drilling at 1,954m, with about 86m of cumulative coal and gas peaks up to 233 units. Purni now over 450m thick. No further oil shows; Tirrawarra not yet reached.
18 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is drilling at 1,812m. Cumulative coal is about 66m with gas peaks up to 233 units. A poor, slow-cut fluorescence show at 1,809-1,812m may partly be coal fines. Primary targets still not reached.
17 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 stopped for rig repairs at 1,775m. About 52m of cumulative coal has been seen with gas peaks up to 133 units. Tirrawarra not yet reached; no new oil shows. Final results await logging.
16 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is drilling at 1,595m in the Purni Formation. Coal was hit at 1,537-1,544m with elevated gas readings up to 26 units. No new oil shows; primary targets remain deeper.
15 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is preparing to drill ahead from 1,405m, having passed the top of the Permian Purni Formation at 1,370m. No oil shows beyond the earlier 996-1017m interval. Primary targets are still deeper; planned depth 2,500m.
14 July 2008drilling result● Neutral
Blamore 1 found residual oil shows over 996-1017m in top Algebuckina Sandstone, a secondary target. Central reads them as a c.15m oil column that has since dissipated, so no test was recommended. Primary targets lie deeper; drilling continues.
11 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is pressure testing blowout preventers, with drilling expected to resume that night. Formation tops continue to come in higher than forecast; no new result.
10 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is landing casing and preparing to cement it. Central calls it encouraging that formation tops are coming in higher than forecast; no hydrocarbon result yet.
9 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 is running 9 5/8-inch casing. It is the first of a planned seven wells in 2008; planned total depth is 2,500m. Formation tops so far are shallower than forecast.
8 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 stopped at 975m to run surface casing. The top of the Cadnaowie Formation came in at about 951m, 110m shallower than forecast. Primary targets are still deeper.
7 July 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Blamore 1 spudded at 0400 on 5 July and had reached 975m by 0600 on 7 July.
4 July 2008drilling spud▲ GoodMajor
Blamore 1 is spudding: the 16-inch conductor is set and the main hole section is imminent. This is the first well of Central's 2008 programme, after repeated delays, and the first conventional oil well drilled in the Pedirka in about 15 years.
26 June 2008drilling scheduled▼ Bad
Spud of Blamore 1 slips again to 1 July, as remedial work on part of the Blamore track means only single truckloads can get through. The camp is in place and rig equipment is being assembled and tested.
23 June 2008resource reserve update▲ Good
A technical note describes two new stratigraphic leads in the Pedirka Basin, Perceval (306 MMbbl) and Bedivere (172 MMbbl) of undiscovered oil in place at 'high' estimate, up to 480 MMbbl combined. They are high risk and need more seismic.
23 June 2008drilling scheduled● Neutral
Spud of Blamore 1 is anticipated on 26 June, subject to operational contingencies, as most camp and rig components are on site or due by 23 June after tracks dried.
16 June 2008drilling scheduled▼ Bad
Rig mobilisation began 10 June but heavy rain delayed some components; Blamore 1 spud is now expected 26-30 June. The Blamore track is finished and the pad nearly done. Two CBM wells now precede Simpson 1.
6 June 2008resource reserve update● Neutral
Central released full text of earlier independent reports on Pedirka CBM: 34, 47 and 70 TCF recoverable prospective resources (low, best, high) across its permits. It re-releases known figures, adding a conceptual gas-to-liquids plant study; nothing has been flow tested.
4 June 2008drilling scheduled▼ Bad
Rig mobilisation is now set to start 10 June, after the Finke Desert Race closed the access road, and takes about 10-15 days. Blamore 1 remains the first well, then CBM wells and Simpson 1: another slip in the spud date.
27 May 2008drilling scheduled● Neutral
Central will begin mobilising Hunt Rig 2 to Blamore 1 on 5 June, after earlier delays. Blamore 1 is to be followed by one or two CBM wells, then Simpson 1. Pedirka oil potential with PXA is put at over 700 MMbbl.
23 May 2008resource reserve update▲ GoodMajor
A re-assessment of old seismic identifies the Hector Trend in the Pedirka Basin: four large leads (450 km2) with up to 2,098 MMbbl undiscovered oil in place at the 'high' estimate. These are unmapped-to-drill-ready leads, not drilled results; more seismic is probably needed.
15 May 2008resource reserve update▲ Good
New Magee seismic delineates 11 new leads in the southern Amadeus Basin. Mt Kitty (up to 1.7 TCF prospective recoverable, with helium and condensate) and Ooraminna (up to 0.7 TCF) are to be drilled. Drilling is said to start within a fortnight with Blamore 1.
13 May 2008farm in farm out agreement▲ GoodMajor
PXA formalised a farm-in to Merlin's EP 97 Simpson, Bejah and Dune blocks: it funds 22.5% of Madigan seismic and of one well per block, to keep 15% of each block. Simpson 1 is mandatory. Drilling is now expected by end May, later than planned.
9 May 2008resource reserve update▲ Good
A technical note says new log correlations and 180 km of 2008 seismic at Magee reveal new gas, helium and condensate plays in the southern Amadeus Basin. Mt Kitty 1 and Magee 2 are planned. No volumes given; these are interpretations, not drilled results.
6 May 2008resource reserve update● Neutral
New seismic over the Gypsum prospect in EP 115 supports a Horn Valley Siltstone fractured-shale oil concept, with a high estimate of up to 30 MMbbl undiscovered oil in place. This extends the untested Bakken-style idea from 24 April; the play has never been tested in the Amadeus Basin.
2 May 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Third water well rig is being mobilised to Blamore 1; road work still precedes Hunt Rig 2 moving in, so the spud remains delayed. Madigan seismic is 130 km done with 7 km left. A 2008 drilling schedule is appended, with oil discovery the stated focus.
2 May 2008drilling result▲ Good
The 2008 seismic acquisition, about 1,000 km, finished 2 May. A technical note on the Blamore access line says the Blamore structure looks unfaulted by Miocene movement, which hampered earlier explorers. This is a preliminary interpretation, not a drilling result.
28 Apr 2008drilling progress report● Neutral
Rawson says recording has begun on the Madigan 2D seismic survey after Guinevere and Vivienne were finished in EP 93, expected to finish by 5 May 2008. Merlin, Central's subsidiary, can earn 80% of one EP 97 block by funding a well and 100 km of seismic.