Highlights

  • Essington-1 intersects gas-bearing intervals in Waarre A and C reservoirs as anticipated.
  • Wireline logs indicate notable net pay across both primary and secondary targets.
  • Ora testing planned to analyse reservoir mobility, connectivity, and fluid composition.

3D Energi Limited (ASX:TDO) released an operational update on the Essington-1 exploration well, located within the VIC/P79 permit in the offshore Otway Basin, Victoria. The well was spudded on 1 November 2025 at 3:15am AEST using the Transocean Equinox rig. Drilling of the 8½-inch hole section successfully intersected both the primary Waarre A and secondary Waarre C reservoir objectives, reaching the planned total depth of 2,735 metres MDRT without incident.

Gas Peaks Observed in Target Reservoirs

While drilling, elevated gas readings were recorded in both reservoir intervals. The Waarre C reservoir was intersected at 2,265 metres MDRT, and the Waarre A reservoir at 2,515 metres MDRT. These gas peaks correlated with increased resistivity detected by Logging While Drilling (LWD) tools, aligning with indications of probable hydrocarbon presence. Gas readings for both intervals were summarised in the company’s appendix.

Following drilling, 3D Energi commenced a comprehensive formation evaluation program over the weekend, acquiring wireline logs across the penetrated interval.

Wireline Interpretations Indicate Gas-Charged Intervals

Petrophysical evaluation of the wireline log suite, supported by formation pressure data, indicated gas-charged intervals in both reservoirs.

  • The Waarre C reservoir showed an interpreted gross gas-bearing interval of about 33.2 metres, including 31.5 metres of net pay. Reservoir characteristics were described as consistent with pre-drill estimates.
  • The Waarre A reservoir displayed a gross gas-bearing interval of roughly 62.6 metres, with 58.5 metres of net pay. These characteristics also aligned with pre-drill predictions.

The company noted that while the results support the presence of moveable hydrocarbons, the potential recoverability and commercial significance will be assessed after wireline formation testing using Schlumberger’s Ora platform.

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Next Steps: Ora Formation Testing

The upcoming Ora program will involve controlled drawdowns and buildups across up to two zones in the Waarre A reservoir. The testing aims to examine reservoir mobility and connectivity, undertake downhole fluid analysis to confirm hydrocarbon phase and composition, and obtain representative samples for PVT and laboratory evaluation.

Share Performance of TDO

TDO was trading 43.47% higher at AUD 0.165 per share as of 17 November 2025 at the time of writing.