Georgina Energy (LSE:GEX) on Monday announced that mobilisation of the Ensign 970 rig to its Hussar prospect in Western Australia has been delayed by road closures to heavy vehicles and variable weather, pushing back the September spud date it had been targeting.
The London-listed small-cap, which explores for helium, hydrogen and natural gas onshore in Australia through its wholly owned subsidiary Westmarket O&G, said all civil engineering and site works needed to facilitate drilling at Hussar (EP513) in the Officer Basin have been completed, with contractors and equipment having demobilised from site.
The company used the update to rebut unspecified claims around road access costs, stating that neither it nor Westmarket has received any notification of an AU$10 million charge, or any other cost requirement, for use of the council roads its contractors are currently using.
It added that Westmarket has renovated the Eagle Highway route from the Gunbarrel Highway turn-off to the proposed site, along with the local wellsite airstrip, at its own cost, and plans to install emergency runway lighting.
Georgina said it has never been advised of significant costs on the Wiluna Shire-administered road access its contractors use, and has hired consulting firm Ingenua to review a proposed Road User Agreement, with that firm now in discussions with the Shires of Wiluna and Leonora and Western Australia's Main Roads Department.
The company and its consultants are also reviewing an alternative access route via Leonora along the Great Central Road and David Carnegie Highway.
Separately, Georgina said its planned seismic programme at Hussar, awaiting final approval, will not require heavy vehicle access, as it will use lightweight, rubber-tyred or crawler-mounted vibration sources and wireless nodal receivers rather than conventional cleared seismic lines.
The survey is expected to take approximately 30 days of fieldwork, subject to approvals from Western Australia's Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration and Traditional Owner cultural heritage clearance, both expected shortly.
Read more about Georgina Energy
- 20/10/26Georgina Energy inspects Mt Winter site ahead of 2027 seismic and drilling
- 06/10/26Georgina Energy advances Mt Winter towards drilling with site inspection
- 02/07/26Georgina Energy confirms pre-drill works on track for September spud
Hussar targets subsalt reservoirs including the Townsend Formation and fractured Neoproterozoic basement to a planned total depth of approximately 3,200 metres, alongside secondary hydrocarbon gas potential in the overlying Kanpa and Hussar formations.
An independent geological report dated 1 February, prepared by competent person Maki Petkovski, certified unrisked net attributable 2U prospective resources at Hussar of 283 billion cubic feet (BCF) of helium, 315 BCF of hydrogen and 2.93 trillion cubic feet of hydrocarbon gas, which the company estimates could equate to a combined in-situ value of approximately $152 billion, cautioning there is no certainty any part of the resource will be commercially recovered.
"This company anticipates that road closures due to unseasonal weather conditions will be overcome with careful planning and drilling Hussar for its Helium and Hydrogen potential into a full field development remains our priority target," said chief executive Anthony Hamilton.