Beetaloo Energy Australia has completed a historic hydraulic stimulation campaign on its Carpentaria-5H well in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo sub-basin, marking what could be a turning point in Australia’s quest for reliable and scalable gas supply to the eastern seaboard.
The 67-stage stimulation operation, executed by global oilfield services giant Halliburton, was wrapped up in a 20-day campaign and covered an extraordinary 2955-metre lateral section, making it the most extensive stimulation job in the basin’s history.
Carpentaria-5H now stands as a cornerstone of Beetaloo Energy’s Carpentaria pilot project, which also includes the previously drilled and stimulated Carpentaria-2H and 3H wells. All three wells were sunk into Velkerri B shale and are co-located on the same well pad to minimise surface disturbance and reduce costs.
Beetaloo Energy Australia managing director Alex Underwood said: “The stimulation of Carpentaria-5H over a 2955-metre horizontal section with 67 stages successfully placed is the longest fracture stimulation completed in the Beetaloo Basin. This is a historic event for Beetaloo Energy Australia and for the basin.”
The stimulation campaign included pump rates exceeding 100 barrels per minute, fluid intensities of 52 barrels per foot and proppant intensities averaging 2295 pounds per foot. It also marked the company’s first 24-hour continuous stimulation operation, which notably hit more than five stages per day on multiple occasions.
With stimulation completed, Beetaloo Energy will now clean out the well bore using coiled tubing, initiate flowback operations and then shut in the well for a soak period ahead of production testing. A 30-day flow test - known as IP30 - is expected to begin mid-August, with results to be released by the end of September.
The company holds a 100 per cent interest in its EP187 permit and remains the largest net acreage holder in the basin, with more than 28.9 million acres under licence.
Today’s development builds upon a flurry of milestones delivered over the past quarter, including a $28 million equity raise completed in May that provided full funding for the Carpentaria-5H stimulation and flow test program.
The raise comprised a $27.75 million placement at 16 cents per share and a subsequent share purchase plan targeting a further $3 million. Directors also chipped in a further $250,000, signalling confidence in the company’s forward program.
Beetaloo Energy also recently secured formal consent from traditional owners to sell gas under the NT’s Beneficial Use of Test Gas provisions, clearing a key regulatory hurdle on its path to commercialisation.
The Carpentaria gas plant is now fully funded and ready for installation when remaining government approvals are finalised. The facility, which was acquired from AGL, has a nameplate capacity of 42 terajoules (TJ) per day - or 42 trillion joules - and is expected to process gas from Carpentaria-2H, 3H and 5H wells in the pilot phase.
The company has already inserted a “T-piece” connection into the McArthur River gas pipeline, enabling immediate access to infrastructure. A binding 10-year gas sales agreement is in place with the NT Government for up to 25TJ per day, with an option to increase to 35TJ depending on production outcomes.
Importantly, the company is also laying the groundwork for future east coast gas supply and has engineering and design work underway with APA Group to evaluate a potential pipeline from the Beetaloo Basin to Queensland.
Beetaloo’s progress could not come at a more critical time. According to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest gas statement of opportunities, supply gaps in the east coast market are expected to emerge from 2029 and worsen through the 2030s.
The Beetaloo Basin is widely regarded as one of the country’s most promising gas plays, with Beetaloo Energy - formerly Empire Energy - having independently certified 1.6 trillion cubic feet of contingent resources and a further 47 trillion cubic feet of prospective gas in place across its acreage.
It is also sitting on high calorific gas with an ultra-low carbon dioxide content of less than 1 per cent, making it ideally suited to blending with existing LNG streams to help meet tightening Japanese and Korean import standards.
With flow testing of Carpentaria-5H imminent, regulatory approvals in hand, a gas plant ready to install and pipeline partnerships in development, Beetaloo Energy appears closer than ever to unlocking one of Australia’s most consequential energy resources.
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By Bill McConnell
