(Sharecast News) - Falcon Oil & Gas has officially initiated stimulation activities at the Shenandoah South 1H well, it announced on Monday.
The AIM-traded firm said the operation was being carried out in partnership with Tamboran B2 - the joint venture partner responsible for the EP117 project.
It said the stimulation programme, conducted by Condor Energy Service, was set to encompass ten stages within the Amungee Member B-shale, covering a horizontal distance of 500 metres within the SS1H well.
The entire stimulation process was expected to conclude by December.
Following the completion of the stimulation campaign, the installation of production tubing would occur.
That installation would pave the way for the expected flowback of stimulation fluid and the eventual gas breakthrough.
The company said the stimulation programme incorporated valuable insights from previous projects, particularly the Amungee NW-2H well in EP98 and the Tanumbirini wells in the Santos-operated EP161.
The insights led to enhancements in hydraulic horsepower and well design pressures to optimise the effectiveness of stimulation treatments.
Additionally, fluid conditioning methodologies were being implemented to mitigate the risk of skin damage.
Furthermore, the diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT) results unveiled an over-pressured regime at the Shenandoah South location.
Specifically, the pore pressure gradient measures at least 0.54 psi per foot.
The outcome aligned closely with results observed at the Tanumbirini well, which ranged from 0.51 to 0.56 psi per foot.
Falcon said the correlation provided confidence in the potential to either replicate or surpass the commercial flow rates achieved at the Tanumbirini location.
The current timeline anticipated the release of 30-day initial production (IP30) flow rates in the first quarter of next year.
"We look forward to this phase of operations in the Beetaloo with the stimulation and extended production testing of SS1H with the planned program incorporating the lessons from previous programs including Amungee NW-2H and with the DFIT results providing confidence on the ability to achieve commercial flow rates," said chief executive officer Philip O'Quigley.
"We will continue to update the market as results become available."
At 1046 GMT, Falcon Oil & Gas shares were down 2% at 6.86p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Falcon Oil (FOG)