The recent Rafael gas and condensate discovery in north-west Australia’s remote Canning basin is large enough to underpin a potential major pipeline project to the liquefied natural gas plants further south.
The operator of the discovery, Buru Energy, said an independent resources evaluator has assessed that the Ungani Dolomite reservoir in the Rafael-1 discovery contains 1 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas and 20.5 million barrels of condensate on a gross high-estimate contingent resource basis.
Buru and joint venture partner Origin Energy confirmed the Rafael-1 discovery in March 2022.
Buru said it believes there are multiple pathways to commercialisation, and a clear opportunity to increase the size of the field with appraisal drilling and the planned recompletion and testing of additional zones in the Rafael-1 well with the ambition of converting the high-estimate resources to low-estimate resources.
Commercialisation options include piping the gas a very long distance out of the Canning basin to the North West Shelf LNG infrastructure or even local usage providing feedstock for a low carbon methanol or ammonia project in the Kimberley region.
Buru’s executive chairman Eric Streitberg said: “This independent assessment by ERCE has confirmed Buru’s view that the Rafael structure contains a large condensate rich conventional gas accumulation that has the potential to be regionally significant for both the Kimberley region and for the state of Western Australia.
"The potential size, if proven by successful appraisal of the discovery, could be sufficient to support a major commercialisation project."
"We look forward to quickly advancing the project to bring forward the benefits that a development will bring to Kimberley communities, traditional owners and the state of Western Australia.”
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