The well will be drilled using the 1500-horsepower Weatherford Rig 826 down to a total depth of 3000m.

Senex is hoping to tap the Roseneath-Epsilon-Murteree package of tight sands and shale, while also hitting the tight sands and deep coal seams in the Patchawarra formation.

The well is due to be drilled and cased in roughly 60 days.

Following Skipton-1, the rig will move on to drill the Kingston Rule-1 well in PEL 115, which is also hoping to hit the same targets.

In other Senex drilling news, it has cased and suspended the Snatcher-6 oil well, PEL 111, on the western flank of the Cooper Basin after it hit a 10m gross oil column.

The well was drilled as a deviated well, and the target mid-Birkhead formation was hit 166m from the north east of the well location.

While gross oil pay was 10m, the interpreted net pay was recorded at 5.2m.

The Ensign Rig 48 will now move onto Tomcat-1, also on PEL 111.

This article first appeared in ILN's sister publication EnergyNewsBulletin.net.