Salamander finds gas in Bedug-1

By Romel S. Gurky

UK-based oil, gas firm Salamander Energy announced on Thursday that the Bedug-1 exploration well in the Bontang PSC has been concluded as a gas discovery.

Bedug-1 was drilled using the Ocean General semi-submersible rig, the well reaching a total depth of 1,693 m true vertical depth sub-sea, the company said.

The well encountered a gas-bearing sandstone interval of 5m thickness in the Lower Pliocene BT40 primary target as confirmed by log data.

After deepening the well into the top of the BT50 target interval, Bedug-1 experienced a high pressure kick that came from a severely over-pressured 5.5m thick sandstone.

Both log and pressure data have demonstrated this reservoir to be gas bearing, with log data from additional underlying thinner bedded sandstones also interpreted to be hydrocarbon-bearing.

However, due to increasing formation pressures the well had to be suspended before fully evaluating the BT50 interval and without reaching the BT65 and BT80 targets.

Based on the pressure profile in the well it was concluded that the deeper objectives could not be drilled and evaluated safely with the equipment available on the rig.

Completion of the Bedug-1 well concludes the current phase of Salamander's multi-well program in the North Kutei basin.

This campaign has yielded the South Kecapi oil and gas discovery; the Bedug gas discovery; and wet gas at North Kendang which experienced a high pressure kick.

Work is on-going to evaluate the commercial potential of the discoveries made to date, and Salamander intends to re-drill the North Kendang well, which, as announced previously, is subject to an insurance claim.

Editing by Dadan Wijaksana