Damon Evans, SINGAPORE: International shale operators are paying close attention to unconventional developments in Australia, hot on the heels of US firms ConocoPhillips and Hess, which entered the nascent shale-gas play last year. And with new, low-price openings becoming increasingly hard to come by in North America, the big producers are on the hunt for enticing opportunities in emerging new plays.
Several companies are believed to be keen to take shale-gas acreage in Australia’s central Cooper basin, where the UK’s BG Group has already teamed up with Drillsearch Energy. The US’ EOG Resources and its fast-growing compatriot Continental Resources – both shale-gas operators in the US – are also said to be examining Cooper basin opportunities, where local firms Beach Energy, Drillsearch and Senex are the leading operators.
All three are among the leading holders of prospective Cooper basin acreage. Senex has just starting a three-well drilling campaign in the...