Bonaparte Basin (NT/WA)

Northern Territory/Western Australia

Advent Energy has acquired an interest in (EP 386 and RL 1) of acreage in the onshore Bonaparte basin in Northern Australia. The Bonaparte Basin is a hydrocarbon-bearing sedimentary basin straddling the border between the Northern Territory (NT) and Western Australia (WA). Most of the basin is located offshore, covering 250,000 square kilometres, compared to just over 20,000 square kilometres onshore.

The prospectivity of the Bonaparte Basin is evident from the known oil and gas fields in both the offshore and onshore portions of the basin. However, despite the confirmation of a proven hydrocarbon system for both oil and gas, the basin remains lightly explored. Further discoveries can be confidently predicted on the basis of the high rate of success in the recent past.

Three modest gas discoveries have been made along the western edge of the basin, in an area characterised by a structural-stratigraphic trapping and active migration known as the Waggon Creek Embayment. In addition to further appraisal of the leads and prospects in the embayment, Advent intends to direct its efforts at locating and maturing higher risk-higher return shallow oil plays in the shale dominated late Devonian to early Carboniferous section where a number of promising leads have been identified. In EP 386 the three main discoveries made so far, Vienta, Waggon Creek and Bonaparte, contain estimated recoverable gas resources of 8 BCF, 12 BCF and 4 BCF, respectively.

In the NT, Advent has acquired 100% of Retention Lease RL-1 (166 square kilometres in area), which covers the Weaber Gas Field and two related prospects, Weaber North and Weaber Southwest. The Weaber Gas Field was discovered in 1985 but has not been brought into production. The gas-bearing sandstones of the Weaber, Weaber North plays are interpreted to be the Enga Sandstone of the early Carboniferous Langfield Group.

Estimated recoverable resources at the Weaber Gas Field are 1 BCF gas with a further 2.6 BCF gas possible in Weaber North.

Onshore Bonaparte Basin hydrocarbon prospects.

Download the report by JD Gorter presented at the 2008 APPEA Conference