Three of the new wells will be in the Mulberry Field. The Mulberry-2, 3 and 4 appraisal wells are designed to achieve additional oil production and to test the extent of the oil pool in the Birkhead 11-77 sand discovered in Mulberry 1.

The partners aim to drill, complete and connect Mulberry-2, 3 and 4 as oil producers, to produce Birkhead oil from each of the wells to the existing production facilities and to provide data for future in-fill and delineation drilling, Drillsearch said in a statement.

In addition, they intend to test and exploit any secondary target potential in the Wyandra, Murta and Westbourne Formations.

At the nearby Tarbat/Ipundu Fields, the partners will drill Tarbat-12, a new development well to access additional oil reserves at the Tarbat field.

They will also deepen three existing producing wells at those fields, Drillsearch said.

These wells, which are currently open-hole completions, will be cased and fracced to access proved oil in two zones. One of these wells, Ipundu North-4, will be further

deepened as a Hutton exploration well.

Drilling is currently anticipated to begin with Tarbat-12 on or about 31 January.

Subject to recommendations from the operator, Santos, it is not anticipated that any of these wells will involve drill stem tests and following wireline logging, any successful wells will be cased pending completion as producers, Drillsearch said.

Interests in the Tintaburra Block include Santos (operator) 89%, Drillsearch Energy 10%, CPC Energy 1%.