Setback at Sole

Further delays to flowback operations of latest well as upper completion is reinstalled

Delays: Cooper will need to reinstall the upper completion in the Sole-3 well after testing identified anomalies in the section

Josh Lewis

Australian operator Cooper Energy has suffered another delay to flow back operations at its latest well at the Sole gas field development off the coast of Victoria.

Cooper revealed Monday the clean-up and flow back of the Sole-3 gas well had been delayed until the re-installation of the upper completion after testing identified anomalies in the section.

Cooper said this had prevented verification of the pressure integrity of the annulus above the production packer, however it added the decision to re-run the upper completion had no significance for the reservoir completion which had already been tested and its integrity confirmed.

It expects the operation to pull and re-run the upper completion to take roughly seven days to complete, after which it will resume preparations for flowback operations.

The latest delay comes after it was reported earlier this month that bad weather had forced Cooper to suspend preparations for flowback operations.

Cooper made a final investment decision on the A$355 million (US$265.7 million) Sole development in August last year which will see two wells tied back to the Orbost gas plant, 65 kilometres away, via a subsea pipeline and will deliver gas sales of 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per annum.

Output is expected to start in mid-2019, with roughly 75% of the field’s reserves already contracted to a range of utility and industrial customers including AGL Energy, EnergyAustralia, Alinta Energy and O-I.

Cooper currently holds a 100% interest in the Sole development which lies off the coast of Victoria.