Amity reported that the well has been unloading well and flowing gas to surface up to 1 MMcf/d without assistance. Cleanup and unloading operations are expected to take between one week and two weeks.
Equipment failures and unexpected rock strength in the second zone hindered the program in August. A twelve hour shut in on zone three also revealed a poor flow rate with the pressure gradually decreasing until the flow finally stopped, possibly indicating a lack of naturally occurring small scale fractures in the field that are needed to deliver the gas to the frac zone.
Whicher Range-5 was originally suspended as a potential gas producer in January owing to the tight nature of the reservoirs and the previously recognised damage that water has caused.
The Whicher Range Gas Field is located onshore, approximately 200km south of Perth, Western Australia and 22km south of the town of Busselton.
Interests in the program are Amity 47.957%, Korea National Oil Corporation 20%, Seoul City Gas Company 15% and GeoPetro Resources Company 17.043%.