Tamboran Resources Corporation has achieved a major project milestone in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin, setting a new record for gas flow with its Shenandoah South 2H sidetrack well (SS-2H ST1) and launching its largest drilling campaign to date.
The SS-2H ST1 well delivered a record average 60-day initial production (IP60) flow rate of 6.8 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) over a 5,483-foot stimulated horizontal section within the Mid Velkerri B Shale.
This surpasses all previous IP60 results in the Beetaloo Basin and is more than double the previous record set by the SS-1H well earlier in 2024.
“We are pleased to see the SS-2H ST1 well continues to demonstrate a shallow gas rate decline over the last 30 days, delivering an average IP60 flow rate of 6.8 MMcf/d.
“This result is a new Beetaloo Basin record and is more than double the previous IP60 record set by the SS-1H well in 2024,” said Tamboran CEO Joel Riddle.
The well’s exit rate remains robust at 6.4 MMcf/d with a flowing wellhead pressure of approximately 720 psi, showing a notably slower decline than SS-1H during the equivalent testing period.
Additionally, when normalised to a 10,000-foot horizontal section, the average flow rate reaches 12.4 MMcf/d, aligning with performance seen in the prolific Marcellus Shale dry gas area in the United States, which itself serves as a benchmark for global shale gas production.
Riddle noted: “The normalised rate of 12.4 MMcf/d over a 10,000-foot lateral section aligns with the average of more than 11,000 wells within the Marcellus Shale dry gas area.”
The achievement is seen by Tamboran as reinforcing the commercial deliverability of Beetaloo Basin gas to the premium-priced Australian domestic East Coast market.
As Riddle stated: “The result reinforces Tamboran’s view of commercial deliverability from the Beetaloo Basin to the Australian domestic East Coast gas market that typically sells at a premium to Henry Hub.”
Amid this momentum, Tamboran has started the Shenandoah South Pilot Project’s 2025 drilling program, targeting three back-to-back horizontal wells, each around 10,000 feet in length, with drilling underway at the SS-4H well.
The campaign utilises Helmerich & Payne’s super-spec FlexRig® Flex 3 Rig from the SS2 pad in Exploration Permit 98.
“These three wells are the last remaining wells required to be drilled as part of Tamboran’s commitment to deliver 40 MMcf/d to the local market under our gas sales contract with the Northern Territory Government (NTG),” said Riddle.
“With over 90 per cent of electricity in the Northern Territory market supplied from gas-fired power generation, our contract with the NTG is expected to play a major role in delivering energy security for all Territorians.”
With the successful ramp-up in drilling and record production rates, Tamboran’s project is positioned as a key future supplier of domestic gas in northern Australia, supporting both regional development and energy reliability.
