RH Petrogas has commenced drilling operations at the Karim-1 exploration well in south-west Papua, Indonesia.
The project is located within the Kepala Burung production sharing contract (PSC), specifically in the Arar block, approximately 23km east of the company’s existing Arar production cluster.
The well is being drilled onshore in a “relatively under-explored area” using the group’s own rig.
The planned trajectory for Karim-1 is a vertical well with a total depth of around 4,300ft (1,311m).
RH Petrogas said that drilling and completion activities are expected to take more than 40 days.
The main objective of the Karim-1 well is to evaluate the oil potential of the Miocene Kais reservoir, which is located within a structural closure up-dip of the earlier Klaifi-1 oil discovery.
The Klaifi-1 oil discovery is located approximately 7km north-west of the Karim-1 well location.
RH Petrogas said that the Miocene Kais formation is a carbonate sequence that forms a shallow marine platform with “localised reefal complexes”. It is recognised as the main producing reservoir in the Kepala Burung PSC.
Upon completion of drilling at Karim-1, the rig will be mobilised for drilling the Northwest Klagagi-1 exploration well.
This well is situated roughly 15km north-east of the Arar production cluster and around 12km from the Karim-1 well area.
RH Petrogas group CEO and executive director Francis Chang said: “We are excited to commence the drilling of our two back-to-back exploration wells in the Kepala Burung PSC.
“Preparations have been under way since 2024, including securing the requisite environmental and forestry permits, procurement and site preparation, and upgrading of the drilling rig to enhance its capacity and reliability."
Chang added: “The two wells are located in a remote but prospective area in the eastern part of the Arar block, and drilling them back-to-back will significantly reduce rig mobilisation and ancillary logistics costs.”
RH Petrogas is a Singapore-based independent upstream oil and gas company involved in resource development and production, with a focus on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.
