Block L15/50

Salamander was awarded Block L15/50 as part of the Thai 20th Licensing Round in December 2007.

The block is to the southwest of the Sinphuhorm field and west of the Nam Phong power plant. It contains a gas discovery called Dao Ruang made by Texaco in 1993 which is reservoired in a thick sequence of Pha Nok Khao carbonate and flowed small amounts of gas from various intervals spaced over a total vertical section of 600m.

Salamander acquired the first high resolution 3D seismic in the Khorat Basin over the Dao Ruang prospect. This imaged the fractures within the reservoir and enabled the horizontal wells to be targeted at the fractures. This technique is applied on tight gas plays elsewhere in the world.

 In December 2009, Salamander farmed out 40% of Block L15/50 to Origin Energy.

The Dao-Ruang 2 appraisal well was drilled in 1H 2011 but, despite encountering gas shows, failed to flow at a sustained commercial rate and was suspended for potential re-entry at a later date. Subsequently the Dao Ruang-3 appraisal well was drilled, this also encountered gas shows but the well data suggested the well would have limited potential as a producer and it was therefore plugged and abandoned.