Central Petroleum Expands Western Australia Shale Play

Central Petroleum has been named as the preferred applicant for Acreage Release Area L12-2 in Western Australia’s portion of the Amadeus basin. The permit will be held 100% by Central’s wholly-owned subsidiary Merlin West Pty Ltd.

The permit was acquired to ensure Central’s acreage covered as much of possible of the lightly explored west end of the emerging liquid-rich Horn Valley Siltstone (HVS) shale gas play, the company said in a statement.

Central’s Surprise-1 well sits above the highly perspective eastern edge of HVS, where it is believed to be the source rock for the overlying Stairway oil reservoir. The HVS is also believed to be the source rock for the large Mereenie and Palm Valley oil and gas pools further to the east.