Empyrean Energy, the oil and gas development company with interests in Australia, Indonesia, and the United States, has provided the following update on the Wilson River-1 well:
A Drill Stem Test (DST) has been completed on the Wilson River-1 well. A fluid sample was successfully recovered and sent for further analysis.
The final well testing report has now been received and confirms the recovery of formation water from the Murta Formation in the Wilson River-1 well. As a result, a decision has been made to plug and abandon the well and the rig has been released.
Empyrean CEO, Tom Kelly, commented:
'The drilling and testing operations at Wilson River-1 were completed safely and efficiently. The outcome is disappointing, as no moveable hydrocarbons were indicated by the drill stem test despite the well having potential oil pay indicated by the quad combo logging run. The conclusion is that there has been inadequate buildup of hydrocarbons through effective migration within the trap to displace enough formation water.'
Background
The Wilson River prospect is situated close to existing infrastructure in the prolific Cooper Basin in South West Queensland, Australia, and adjacent to several producing oil fields operated by Santos-Beach (Cooper Basin JV) and Bridgeport Energy. The Wilson River prospect lies within lease ATP 1173 and is being prepared for near-term drilling once final surveys are complete and permits granted. Material progress has been made since November 2024 to progress the pre-drill preparaons including finalisation of well design, testing and completion protocols, long lead item procurement, rig service guarantee payment, land access agreement and commencement of required surveys. The Wilson River prospect has multiple stacked reservoir targets, lies within a NW to SE oil migraon pathway and shares similar structural orientation and features to fields immediately NW of the prospect.
See announcement: Acquisition of option to participate in Wilson River conventional oil prospect, Australia (Jan 23 2025), for further info.
Source: Empyrean Energy
