Total Begins Second Planned Extended Well Test at Antelope-5

Total E&P PNG, operator of Petroleum Retention License 15 (PRL15) in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea, said second planned extended well test has commenced at Antelope-5.

The extended well test will flow Antelope-5 at around 50 million standard cubic feet per day for approx. two weeks before being shut-in to record the subsequent pressure build-up. Pressure gauges have been placed in Antelope-1 as an observer well. The test is expected to take approx. one month to complete.

JV partner InterOil Corp Chief Executive Michael Hession said the initial flow test conducted in June 2015 provided a good indication of the minimum connected volume in Antelope; this second test aims to further support those findings.

“In order to improve the certainty of the minimum connected volume, we have added additional pressure gauges and we plan to flow five times more gas than we did in our initial test last year.” he said.

Total is also preparing to drill Antelope-6 appraisal well, located 2km east-south-east to the Antelope-3 at 1,120 meters (3,674 feet) true vertical depth sub-sea. Antelope-6 spudded on December 23, 2015 and has a proposed total depth of around 2,464 meters (8,084 feet) true vertical depth sub-sea.

The PRL15 joint venturers are discussing an additional appraisal well to the west of Antelope-5. The decision whether to drill a further appraisal well will follow the evaluation of the Antelope-6 appraisal well and the results of the latest flow test at Antelope-5.