ConocoPhillips has made another deepwater gas discovery in the Browse Basin off the north-west coast of Australia.

Partner Karoon Gas Australia says the Pharos-1 exploration well in permit WA-398-P hit a 53 m (174 ft) gross interval with 34 m (112 ft) of net pay interpreted. The probe was drilled in a water depth of 480 m (1,584 ft), with the wireline logging program indicating a gas-charged Montara Formation sandstone reservoir.

Drillstem testing will get underway in the coming weeks, adds Karoon. The well was drilled to a total depth of 5,220 m (17,127 ft).

Pharos-1 is the sixth and final well in the Browse Basin Phase 2 exploration drilling campaign, and is located approximately 9 km north east of the Proteus discovery. It is a further test of the Proteus-Crown trend, says Karoon.

Pharos-1 was targeting an extension of the discovery made at Proteus, which established excellent reservoir quality and condensate-bearing gas in the Montara Formation.

The exploration campaign, operated by ConocoPhillips, has been carried out using the Transocean Legend semisubmersible rig for the final well. The principal objective of the campaign is to better define the size and quality of the hydrocarbon resource within the exploration permits, which contain the Greater Poseidon trend.

ConocoPhillips is the operator of the WA-398-P permit in which Karoon holds 40%.