Empire drills Territory’s largest well as fracking stimulation delay announced

A Territory gas player has broken a well drilling record on its way to delivering gas to power the local economy. Read what it did.

Empire Energy has narrowly pipped arch rival Tamboran Resources in the race to deliver the Beetaloo’s largest fracking well.

The company announced last week it had finished drilling and casing the 3310m horizontal lateral at its Carpenteria 5h well.

That is now the longest lateral in the Beetaloo, pipping Tamboran’s Shenandoah South 3’s 3048m well from December 23 by almost 300m.

In other developments Empire, one of three companies with their eye on gas production at the Beetaloo Sub-basin between Katherine and Tennant Creek, also announced it would delay the planned fracture stimulation at C-5H until immediately after the NT wet season in second-quarter 2025.

Alex Underwood, Empire Energy Managing Director and Leslie Rice, KD Machinery Hire contractor meet at C-2H.

Daily costs still apply if rain delays activity.

The company’s shareholder note announcing the frack said this was to minimise shareholder exposure.

“Commencing the stimulation in January, in the height of the wet season, would have exposed Empire’s shareholders to weather-related financial risk that the Board deemed unacceptable,” it said.

Mr Underwood said the safe and successful drilling, casing and cementing of C-5H represented a major operational milestone for Empire Energy and the broader Beetaloo Basin.

“C-5H contains the longest horizontal drilled and cased section of any well drilled in the basin to date,” Mr Underwood said.

“The horizontal section was completed fully within the target Middle Velkerri-B shale zone, setting up the company up for a successful stimulation program.

“The decision we have made to delay the C-5H fracture stimulation from January 2025 to April 2025 has been taken with the best interests of our shareholders in mind, as the financial risk of weather-related issues would have been substantial.

“The change in program timing is not expected to delay delivery of first gas in 2025.”

Mr Underwood said he anticipated planning around the installation of the pilot processing plant is scheduled for documentation by April.

Mr underwood said the C-5H well as well as C-2H and C-3H would form the initial part of the Carpentaria pilot project.

Gas production from the well will be sold under the company’s 10-year binding sales agreement with the NT government to supply 25 terajoules of gas per day from the from mid-2025.