Canning

Commentary

While a positive operating environment locally, there remains lingering questions over the ability to operate in the longer-term given the headwinds arising from the Federal regulatory environment.

Updated

January 25, 2024

Location

Description

The underexplored, perikaryonic Early Ordovician to Early Cretaceous Canning Basin of Western Australia occupies about 506 000sq km, of which 430,000sq km are onshore. It has a maximum sediment thickness of over 15 000m concentrated in two NW trending depocenters. The northernmost of these is the Fitzroy Trough-Gregory Sub-basin complex, while the southernmost is the Willara Sub-basin-Kidson Sub-basin complex.

Summary

Only 250 wells have been drilled and 78 000 line-km of 2D seismic shot in the Basin. Hydrocarbon production is currently from Permo-Carboniferous sandstones (Lloyd, Sundown, etc) and Devonian carbonates (Blina) with many shows from Ordovician to Permian rocks. Proven plays include draped bioherms, anticlinal closures and tilted fault blocks. Untested plays include unconformities, fault rollovers, diapirs and stratigraphic traps.