Beach Energy kicks off Equinox Phase 2, drills 13 wells in Cooper Basin
Beach Energy reported progress on its Equinox rig campaign and Cooper Basin drilling program during Q1 2026, though severe weather disrupted operations across both programs.
In the offshore Otway Basin, Beach received the Transocean Equinox rig from a consortium member after quarter-end and commenced Phase two of the campaign shortly thereafter. A well intervention at Thylacine West is currently underway and is expected to take approximately three weeks to complete. In the Bass Basin, the campaign will conclude with plug and abandonment of the Trefoil 1 and Yolla 1 wells.
In the Western Flank oil program, three wells were drilled before nearly 400 mm of rain halted road access from mid-February, interrupting drilling for the remainder of the quarter.
The Stunsail West 1 exploration well reached a total depth of 2,019 m and encountered oil in the primary Namur and secondary McKinlay and Birkhead reservoirs. An oil-water contact in the Namur reservoir was consistent with the Stunsail field approximately 1 km to the west, suggesting a continuous oil accumulation between the fields. Follow-up appraisal activity is being assessed.
The Kangaroo 5 appraisal well intersected 1.5 m of net oil pay in the Birkhead reservoir and is to be fracture stimulated and completed as a water injection well. Kangaroo 6 encountered 7 m of net oil pay in the Birkhead reservoir and was cased and suspended, with completion and connection planned for Q4 FY26.
In the Cooper Basin JV, Beach participated in 10 wells, achieving a 100% success rate from three oil development wells, two gas appraisal wells and five gas development wells.
The Carmina 3 oil development well targeted the Hutton reservoir, and the Jena 31 dual lateral oil development well targeted the McKinlay reservoir; both intersected commercial oil columns.
Gas appraisal drilling was conducted in the Karmona and Stilton fields, and gas development drilling occurred in the Barrolka, Karmona, Moomba and Wippo fields, with seven wells cased and suspended as future producers.
Road access was restored in mid-April and the Western Flank campaign has since recommenced. Of the six remaining wells in the 12-well campaign, four are expected to be drilled in FY26, with the remaining two deferred to FY27.
The results were included in Beach’s FY26 third quarter activities report, released 28 April 2026.
