attention: 62strat..please read.., page-9

OK Sandy, I'll give you my thoughts (which I penned yesterday, but got called away before responding).

Just so you know, technically, I don't hold a candle to p1K, but I'm glad you find something in my posts.

"Gindara-1 if successful will be a production well, put on EWT as soon as possible."

If G-1 turns up a discovery, there will be no EWT on Gindara as per Tindalo EWT...the per day spread rate (likely to be in the vicinity of US$1M/day) would be inhibitive, and Shell don't need the money, not to mention that the scale of G dictates other development strategies.
More overly, after I read that Pines media article which mentioned an EWT on G, I talked to Jocot who said "no, it will not happen".

At best they will run a DST (Jocot said no), and/or gather a series of downhole logs and cores, given the size and potential of the structure. Their theory would have been proved that G is the primary reservoir zone over the Coron-1 structure (so a major field development would ensue).

"for starters, the way i see it. Nido & Kairiki can't afford to be drilling exploration wells. drilling a single well is going to be big bucks."

Pre-supposing a discovery, we'll have to wait and see how appraisal drilling (normal for a structure this size) is going to be handled, financially and otherwise. Just from one point of view, it will make a big difference whether it's oil or gas and condensate (oil likely).

"so having said the above, i could be totally wrong, but i think G-1 will be a production well A.S.A.P."

As I said before, G-1 may or may not be used as one of the production wells if we have a discovery followed by field development (2 to 6 years)...that will depend on all the data collected during appraisal and the final reservoir well engineering design (number, type and positioning) settled on.

The initial exploration well is commonly used as a production well, but not always.
Look at the production set up at Galoc (a small reservoir and original 2 wells not used, 2 new deviated wells + a pilot hole right through the OWC), Malampaya development initially had 5 deviated wells from a single subsea manifold location, with (I think) a contingent 6th well.

There are many ways to do it, and no doubt Shell will take the reins if we get a goer!

IMO.