The Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price is in reverse today following the company's Bass Basin update.
At midday on Monday, the energy producer's shares are down 6.95% to $1.57.
For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is also in negative territory by 0.8% to 6,422.8 points.
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Beach Energy identifies new Yolla West infield opportunity
Investors are offloading Beach Energy shares this morning after the company announced some changes.
According to its release, Beach Energy has identified a drillable fault block over the Yolla field.
This came to light following a move to reprocess the existing 3D seismic data.
As such, management has decided to prioritise the development of Yolla West, which represents a lower-cost and higher-returning investment opportunity.
If the drilling yields successful results, Yolla West could be connected to the Lang Lang Gas Plant.
Consequently, the company has had to defer the final investment decision for Trefoil past the original timing of H1 FY23.
Evidently, this allows Beach Energy more time to complete the interpretation of the Prion 3D seismic survey. The company expects this to occur around mid-FY23.
In addition, management can further refine the most cost-effective development option and benchmark the Trefoil investment case against other opportunities.
At the moment, Beach Energy is in discussions about securing a rig at Yolla West.
A drilling campaign is being targeted to commence over the 2022/23 summer.
However, this is subject to receiving regulatory and joint venture approvals.
Beach Energy CEO Morné Engelbrecht touched on the Bass Basin acreage, saying:
The decision to prioritise Yolla West and defer Trefoil is consistent with our focus on pursuing value maximising investments.
As elevated demand in the east coast gas market exacerbates spot gas prices, Yolla West presents as an opportunity to get new gas supply to market in a timely manner. Market engagement for these potential new volumes will commence shortly.
It's worth noting that natural gas prices are currently down 3.38% to US$6.71/MMbtu (British thermal unit) today. This could also be impacting Beach Energy shares.
Beach Energy share price snapshot
Despite today's losses, the Beach Energy share price has surged more than 20% over the last 12 months.
These gains have mostly come from gains achieved year to date, up 24.8%.
Beach Energy shares touched a 52-week high of $1.905 on 9 June before sinking 15% in a week.
Based on today's price, Beach Energy presides a market capitalisation of roughly $3.86 billion.
