Testing time ahead at Pasundan-1

Indonesia's BPREC operating company plans to drillstem test the Pasundan-1 well, in the Citarum licence, onshore Java, after the logging indications of oil and gas.

The well has reached total depth at 10,412 feet and wireline logs are being run over a 1000-foot section that includes the Talang Akar formation comprising predominantly sandstones, siltstones and shales, said co-venturer Sound Oil.

Pasundan-1 has been a difficult well to drill particularly because of the very high porosity in the presumed limestone caverns below 6770 feet. Almost 100,000 barrels of drilling fluid - mostly brine- were lost into the porous zones. Sound said the brine contaminated the original formation fluids and pushed them away from the well bore.

The UK company said that drillstem testing is the only way to determine what has been found, adding that even then the results may be masked by the large volume of drilling fluids and other contaminants lost during operations.

Sound chairman Gerry Orbell said: "These are good results from our first well Pasundan-1 on the Citarum licence. We have spectacular porosity in the Baturaja Limestones and indications of gas and oil.

"We hope to confirm these by drillstem testing and will be using the best techniques to make sure we give ourselves every chance of finding out whether we have a significant oil accumulation."

Sound Oil is a 20% shareholder in the BPREC operating company. Pasundan is 50 kilometres south-east of the Indonesia capital Jakarta.