New drilling results have revealed that Queensland’s Taroom Trough could hold significantly more oil and gas than previously estimated, with a fresh drilling campaign by Omega Oil and Gas providing strong evidence of a large-scale, internationally significant resource.
The findings come as Shell’s global President of Integrated Gas, Cederic Cremers, travelled from The Hague to see the company’s Queensland progress firsthand, meeting with the Queensland Premier and the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines to provide an exploration update.
Omega’s exploration program in the Taroom Trough operates separately from Shell’s activities, with both companies independently advancing substantial oil and gas projects in the region.
Omega Oil & Gas CEO and Managing Director Trevor Brown briefed Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last on the company’s latest drilling results, which have exceeded expectations.
The campaign has strengthened the case for a large-scale, internationally significant oil and gas province across the Taroom Trough.
Omega’s latest well reached a total depth of 3,796 metres, with surface logging and wireline log data confirming six regionally correlatable oil- and gas-bearing reservoirs.
Oil fluorescence was observed in drill cutting samples across all six reservoirs, offering visual evidence of hydrocarbons.
The company plans to follow four vertical wells with one or two horizontal wells, which will undergo flow testing.
Brown said the results marked an important milestone.
“These results are a major step towards demonstrating the scale of the oil and gas resources in the Taroom Trough,” said Brown.
“The results from Canyon-3 adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that Omega’s acreage in the Taroom Trough hosts internationally significant resource of oil and gas in highly over pressured, high-quality sandstone reservoirs.”
On the Shell side of operations, Cremers was joined by Shell Country Chair and EVP Integrated Gas Australia Cecile Wake and Shell QGC Vice President Krishna Venkatesan in updating the Premier and Minister Last on the company’s progress.
Cremers reaffirmed Shell’s commitment to continued exploration in the basin, noting the company has allocated substantial capital to ongoing works.
Shell produced gas and around 200 barrels of liquid condensate per day for roughly six months this year, and the company is preparing to commence its next production test.
Earlier this year, Crisafulli and Last visited one of Shell’s production test sites to see that output firsthand.
Shell is also currently mapping the subsurface of the Taroom Trough through the largest 3D seismic survey ever conducted in Queensland, covering 850 square kilometres.
Wake pointed to the scale of what could follow if results continue to hold up.
“If the subsurface results are successful, the Taroom Trough has the potential to be a gamechanger for our domestic market and also underpin LNG exports into the 2040s and 50s,” said Wake.
For the Queensland government, the developments align with a broader push to strengthen the state’s fuel and energy security.
Minister Last said the timing reflected work already underway before recent supply pressures emerged, adding that reducing reliance on external supply chains remains a priority.
“Never again do we want to be at the mercy of foreign supply chains and reliant on the federal government’s ability to leverage Queensland gas for Australian fuel supply,” said Last.
Both companies say ongoing engagement with government and local communities will be central to progressing their respective projects, as further drilling, testing and seismic mapping continue across the Taroom Trough in the months ahead.
