Inpex to test Abadi-4 well

Japanese oil, gas firm Inpex Corporation has drilled Abadi-4 appraisal well in Masela offshore PSC in Timor sea to the total depth of 3,950 meters.

BPMIGAS Deputy Chairman Dodi Hidayat said that currently Inpex is preparing to conduct well tests.

Dodi said in May 2007 interview that Inpex would drill up to 4 delineation wells to confirm the block?s reserves prior to submitting plan of development.

The Masela Block is located offshore southwest of Tanimbar Island, about 800 kilometers east of Kupang and approximately 400 kilometers north of Darwin, Australia. Inpex operates the block with 100 percent of working interest.

In 2002, Inpex confirmed a large natural gas accumulation in the block after two appraisal wells, Abadi-2 and Abadi-3, tested a total 32.4 million cubic feet a day of natural gas..

Gas reserves at Masela are estimated to be around 4-7 TCF, which could warrant for development of an LNG plant. Report from Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai said in October last year that Inpex will invest US$4 billion to develop LNG plant in Masela, capable of producing 3 MTPA of LNG, with production to seen to begin in 2015. (godang)