Australian company Beach Energy has made a gas discovery at the Tarantula Deep-1 well in the Perth Basin, Western Australia.

Following drilling using the Ventia 106 rig to reach a total depth of 4,121m, the Tarantula Deep-1 well intersected a 63m gross section of high-quality Kingia Sandstone reservoir.

It intersected a gas water contact within the Kingia reservoir, with 10m of net gas pay above the contact confirmed by gas sampling.

Beach said the well was drilled down-dip to detect the gas water contact’s depth. This provides certainty of recoverable gas in place and allows optimal development planning.

Beach Energy interim CEO Bruce Clement said: “Two gas discoveries from our first three operated exploration wells is a great start to the campaign.

“The results at Tarantula Deep 1 have improved our understanding of the Kingia reservoir extent in the Beharra Springs area and give us greater confidence in future development and near-field exploration within the immediate region.

“With gas demand in Western Australia increasing, and further success in our exploration programme, we see our Perth Basin business as continuing to grow in importance for the West Coast gas market.”

The well is due to be cased to enable future development of the discovery.

The company is planning to move the Ventia 106 rig in the near future to drill the Waitsia 11 development well at the Waitsia field.

Earlier this year, Beach Energy selected Webuild to complete the delivery of the Waitsia Stage 2 gas project in the Perth basin.

The Waitsia Stage 2 project involves the development of a new 250-terajoule per day gas processing plant to maximise the potential of the Waitsia gas field.