helium exploration begins

http://www.centralianadvocate.com.au/article/2008/12/30/3407_news.html

Helium exploration begins: Basin drilling could start as early as mid-2009

Jonathon Howard

30Dec08

EXPLORATION is under way to uncover fresh oil and helium reserves in the southern parts of the Amadeus Basin, 160km south of Alice Springs.
If significant enough oil deposits can be found, drilling could start as early as mid-2009, said Central Petroleum Limited managing director John Heugh.
Geologists are also hoping to find significant helium deposits which are found in very few places around the world, and could provide a cleaner alternative for cooling nuclear reactors.
The exploration was a part of the company's strategic planning for new drilling schedules in 2009 and an increase in the company's already substantial mining footprint in Central Australia.
According to Mr Heugh, a number of large areas have already been identified within the Magee and Maryvale prospects as well as Mount Kitty, Waterhouse and Ooraminna regions.
Mr Heugh, said: "Early reviews indicated a much wider presence of well-sealed potential petroleum traps in geological structures which had not been previously considered fully evaluated or explored.
"We are highly encouraged by the outcome of the review as the Amadeus Basin already has two producing fields, Mereenie and Palm Valley.
"The basin generally has been so little explored that it has an exploration well density of less than one well per five thousand square kilometres.
"That provides opportunity for significant upside from this province from new but more focused exploration initiatives in 2009."
Mr Heugh highlighted a number of parallels in the geology of the Amadeus Basin compared with other older basins around the world, such as the Sichuan Basin in China, the eastern Siberian Platform.
There are two significant salt horizons in the Amadeus, the Chandler Formation Salt and the Gillen Member of the Bitter Springs Group.
Mr Heugh said: "Similar salt horizons have acted to trap petroleum and helium globally, but have been largely ignored to date in the Amadeus Basin.
"If significant helium supplies were found, it could be used to supply nuclear power stations."