(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
The defining characteristic of any mirage is that the closer you think you are to it, the further away it seems to get.
Sadly, in what is sure to be a major disappointment for Berkshire Hathaway, after years of work its CalEnergy subsidiary is planning to decommission two exploration wells which have been used to test the potential for natural gas production in the Whicher Range, south of Busselton.
The gas field had been estimated to contain four trillion cubic feet of gas-in-place.
The problem has always been how to get it.
CalEnergy is the sole titleholder and operator of the exploration permit EP 408 located approximately 280 kilometers south of Perth, and covers both the Whicher Range and Wonnerup gas fields.
The test wells, WR1 and WR4, will be sealed with concrete and the well heads removed.
The land immediately around the well locations will be rehabilitated in line with conditions to be set out by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
In 2016, Peter Youngs, the Managing Director of CalEnergy Resources Group, discussed with MazorsEdge the progress on the development of the gas field, noting that “the field represents a large in place gas resource, its characteristics are challenging and there is much work still remaining to move this resource to a commercially developable status.”
Unfortunately, those obstacles proved to be too much to surmount.
© 2018 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.