Beach Energy and its joint venture partners Genesis and NZOG will shortly commence drilling the Kupe South 9 well in New Zealand, which is the next phase of development drilling in the existing Kupe natural gas field.

The Valaris 107 rig is undertaking the drilling campaign which is expected to be operating at the site for up to three months once the well is spudded.

Should the well be successful, it will be tied into the existing Kupe offshore platform which is connected to the Kupe Gas Plant. Natural gas would then be processed at the plant and sold to energy retailers for domestic use in New Zealand.

At its capacity, the Kupe Gas Plant can process up to 77 terajoules of gas per day – which is the equivalent of providing hot water for more than 1.5 million homes.

Beach Energy New Zealand Country Manager Mat Quinn said: “Natural gas has been safely developed in the region for many decades, and will continue to form an important part of New Zealand’s energy mix into the future.

“Natural gas supports renewable energy by providing a stable power supply, as well as back-up power for when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Our industry is very highly regulated and we have a strong commitment to the safety of our people and looking after the environment in which we operate.”

Required environmental and other regulatory approvals for the drilling of the Kupe South 9 well have all been obtained.