Beach Energy and Strike Energy have announced that the Davenport 1 unconventional evaluation well in PEL 94 (Beach Energy 50%, Strike Energy 35%, Senex Energy 15%) has reached a total depth of 2,102 metres and that wireline logging and sidewall coring has been completed.

A sidetrack well is currently being drilled to cut cores in the Patchawarra Formation. Preliminary log data indicates that Davenport 1 penetrated thick coals and shales through the Toolachee Formation, Roseneath Shale, Epsilon Formation and Murteree Shale (together 'REM') and Patchawarra Formation. In particular, over 110 metres of net coal was encountered including one seam with over 45 metres of net coal and two further seams with net coal thickness above 20 metres. Elevated gas shows were recorded across the target formations.

Strike Energy Managing Director, David Wrench, said, “We are particularly excited by the preliminary results from Davenport 1 - we have encountered one of the thickest coal seams ever recorded in the Cooper Basin and the results are well in excess of our pre-drill expectations. The preliminary results from Davenport 1 build upon the positive results from Beach's and Strike's Marsden 1 well in PEL 95 and confirm that the Southern Cooper Basin hosts a very significant hydrocarbon resource.”

Davenport 1 is the first well drilled in the centre of the Milpera Trough in PEL 94. The purpose of the well is to demonstrate the extension of thick, hydrocarbon-rich Permian-aged coal and shale formations from the centre of the Cooper Basin into the Southern Cooper Basin unconventional region.

Davenport 1 spudded on 25 April and reached a total depth of 2,102 metres. Wireline logging to confirm the depth and thickness of the target Permian formations was completed, and sidewall coring of the well successfully recovered 48 coal and shale samples. A sidetrack well is currently being drilled to recover cores from the Patchawarra Formation, after which the PEL 94 joint venture partners intend to case and suspend Davenport 1 for future testing. Samples and cores will be sent for laboratory analysis to determine hydrocarbon content and other properties relevant to determining the potential productivity of the coal and shale formations.