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MEC Resources [ASX: MMR] - Offshore Sydney Basin – New Prospective Hydrocarbon Plays



PO Box 317, North Perth, WA 6906
14 View Street, North Perth, WA, 6006
T: + 618 9328 8477
F: + 618 9328 8733

www.mecresources.com.au
ACN 113 900 020
11 August 2009
Companies Announcements Office
Australian Securities Exchange Limited
10th Floor, 20 Bond Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Dear Sir/Madam
Offshore Sydney Basin - Brazilian Analogue for New Prospective Hydrocarbon Plays
MEC Resources Limited (ASX: MMR) is pleased to advise that its investee company Advent Energy Ltd (Advent) has
interpreted significant new prospective multi-Tcf stratigraphic plays in an ongoing review of its exploration data for the
PEP11 offshore Sydney Basin project (JV partner - Bounty Oil & Gas NL (ASX: BUY)).
Advent has previously reported the prospective P10 unrisked gas resource estimate of 16.3 trillion cubic feet for the
permit (ASX: MMR 27 October 2008), as residing in deeper, structural Permo-Triassic targets associated with the
Offshore Uplift.
PEP11 covers a very large area (over 8,100km2).

In addition to the aforementioned prospects, further examination of
features in the Cainozoic sediment wedge overlying the Permo-Triassic sediments along the Sydney Basin continental
shelf has demonstrated "soft" high amplitude anomalies (reverse polarity to the water bottom reflector) that are
observed along sequential seismic lines continuously over considerable (>60 km) lateral NE-SW extent.
An example of the seismic features is
provided on the right from seismic line B4-11
(seismic line length is ~30 km).

The zones
of contiguous amplitude anomalous horizons
are depicted as yellow polygons in the
permit map below.
Advent notes that these newly identified
prospective zones are analogous to the giant
Marlim field in the Campos Basin in Brazil.
Location (left) and seismic transect (below) of
the Marlim Oil Field, Campos Basin, Brazil, as
used by Essential Petroleum as an analogy to
their Descartes Prospect, in VIC/P50 in the
offshore Otway Basin, Victoria.

Essential
Petroleum state that this prospect may hold
800 MMbbl oil (P50).
Modelling suggests that the hydrocarbon
migration in the offshore Sydney Basin in PEP11,
as described previously by Advent as manifesting
in the seismic data as HRDZs, gas chimneys,
chemotropic mounds and similar features, has
charged the sediments of the Cainozoic wedge.
The resulting accumulation of hydrocarbons in
these sediments can produce the reverse polarity
and amplitude anomalies as seen and mapped in
the aforementioned images.
The Quaternary sediments have been described
to comprise a large variation in grainsize (from
clay to gravel) with the dominant grain size a
medium-to coarse grained sand (Sayers, 2004).
It is feasible that an appropriate sorting of
sediments during the progradational Cainozoic
deposition resulted in an ideal package of potential reservoir and sealing units - Boyd (1998) describes similar such
"forced regressive shorelines" as of considerable importance to the hydrocarbon exploration industry because of the
significant potential for good reservoir development.

In addition, no faults have been interpreted in the Cainozoic
sediment wedge on seismic data from modern surveys, implying very low risk from a ‘fault breach" point of view
(Sayers, 2004).
In a further step towards commercial development of the project, conceptual well design and well testing planning has
been completed for drilling of the Fish Prospect.

Environmental approvals are in the process of being lodged.

Advent
is also continuing to pursue joint venture discussions and is in discussions to secure an appropriate drilling rig to test
PEP11.
Yours Sincerely
David Breeze
Executive Director
Reference: Sayers, J., Kernich, A., and Dance, T., 2004, Geosequestration investigations - offshore New South Wales, Australia, PESA Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium II (Adelaide,
19‐22 September, 2004).
Boyd, R., Roy, P., Lang, S., and Huftile, G., 1998, RV Franklin National Facility Oceanographic Research Vessel Cruise Plan FR15/98.




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