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State Gas reveals CBM production record

AUSTRALIAN junior State Gas has revealed a The company is also investigating PL231’s
AUSTRALIA new coal-bed methane (CBM) production test further CBM potential, following the comple-
record at its wholly owned Reid’s Dome project tion of its first phase of exploration and appraisal.
in the Bowen Basin. The first phase involved drilling and testing of
The company announced that gas flow rates the Nyanda-4, Serocold-1 and Aldinga East-1A
from its Nyanda-4 well had topped 114,000 cubic wells. In addition to Nyanda-4, production test-
feet (3,228 cubic metres) per day on September ing is also underway at Serocold-1.
1. The company has begun drawing up plans Cottee, however, said: “Similar results from
for an export pipeline from the project, which Serocold-1 are not expected from the current
is located in petroleum lease (PL) 231. PL 231 is testing programme, given the extent of well dam-
also home to conventional and tight gas targets. age at that site. However, the gradual increase we
State Gas said that following a desktop study are seeing in daily production at Serocold-1 is
of potential routes, it had refined the area of its also very encouraging for the future.”
petroleum survey licence (PSL) – which was State Gas noted in August that well damage
awarded on August 27 – to the identified routes’ and debris at Serocold-1 had resulted in only
area. The award of PSL 2049 will allow the com- 54% of the targeted coal seams being exposed
pany to begin on-the-ground route studies, to the test. Serocold-1 was producing at a rate
though State Gas has said it is waiting for “cur- of 13,000 mcf (386 cubic metres) per day as of
rent COVID-19 concerns” to recede before it August 17, with flow rates increasing at around
does so. 2.5% per day over the preceding two weeks.
Commenting on Nyanda-4’s performance, The company has hired Netherland Sewell
State Gas executive chairman Richard Cot- & Associates to conduct an independent certi-
tee said: “Exceeding 100,000 mcf [2,832 cubic fication of the Reid’s Dome resource, with the
metres] per day after less than six weeks of dewa- maiden certified estimate expected by the end of
tering is very promising.” September.™

NUCLEAR
CNNC makes nuclear progress in Pakistan

PAKISTANW CHINA National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) has CNNC said.
completed so-called hot functional tests (HFT) The HPR1000 design is also being installed at
at the K2 reactor at Pakistan’s Karachi nuclear China General Nuclear’s (CGN) Fangchenggang
power plant (NPP). plant in Guangxi Autonomous Region.
The Karachi NPP is CNNC’s first overseas Units 3 and 4 at Fangchenggang and units
installation of its domestically developed Hua- 5 and 6 at the Fuqing in Fujian Province are
long One reactor design. expected to be connected to the Chinese grid by
The tests have laid a solid foundation for the end of 2022.
subsequent major processes, including nuclear Indeed, CNNC said this week that it had
fuel loading and grid-connected power genera- completed the loading of 177 fuel assemblies into
tion, China Global Television Network (CGTN) the core at unit 5 at Fuqing.
reported, quoting a CNNC official. Indeed, progress at Fuqing 5 is around six
Hot tests involve increasing the temperature months ahead of Karachi, as hot testing was
of the reactor coolant system and carrying out completed in March 2020. Construction at
comprehensive tests to ensure that coolant cir- Fuqing 5 is anticipated to be finished by the end
cuits and safety systems are operating as they of 2020.
should, World Nuclear News reported. Meanwhile, the two HPR1000 units at Kara-
Carried out before the loading of nuclear chi are due to enter commercial operation in
fuel, such testing simulates the thermal working 2021 and 2022.
conditions of the power plant and verifies that The HPR1000 has also been proposed for
nuclear island and conventional equipment and construction at Bradwell in the UK, where it is
systems meet design requirements. undergoing generic design assessment.
Hualong One, also known as HPR1000, The Hualong One was developed by CGN
is one of the third-generation nuclear reactor and CNNC using the French-derived ACPR1000
designs. The reactor’s double-layer containment and ACP1000 designs.™
shell can withstand the impact of large aircraft,

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 36 09•September•2020