In March 2020, Oil Search Ltd reported that it has received, and accepted, an offer of award for exploration licence application APPL 608. The formal award is now pending Ministerial grant. APPL 608 covers an area of 3,408 sq km to the east of Hides and Angore gas fields and is thought to be prospective in Lower Cretaceous to Upper Jurassic clastic reservoirs, such as the Toro and Digimu sands.  Esso Highlands drilled the Trapia 1ST1 well in 2012 on the western edge of the area, in which, Oil Search participated. The well was drilled to a depth of approximately 3,800 m but initial petrophysical evaluations indicated that a prospective reservoir interval was not encountered. The majority of the application area was last held by Toro Oil Ltd, through licence PPL 194, which expired in 2003. BP has also been a major player over the acreage.   Upon the initial submission, APPL 608 covered an area of over 8,500 sq km. Oil Search has since been reduced the application area to 3,408 sq km.  Registered on 21 February 2017 and quickly gazetted on 26 May 2017, APPL 608 has been offered to Oil Search (PNG) Ltd by the Department of Petroleum and Energy. The formal award remains subject to Ministerial grant.
Oil Search Ltd APPL 608, Papuan Fold Belt - award offer accepted Papua New Guinea In March 2020, Oil Search Ltd reported that it has received, and accepted, an offer of award for exploration licence application APPL 608. The formal award is now pending Ministerial grant. APPL 608 covers an area of 3,408 sq km to the east of Hides and Angore gas fields and is thought to be prospective in Lower Cretaceous to Upper Jurassic clastic reservoirs, such as the Toro and Digimu sands. Esso Highlands drilled the Trapia 1ST1 well in 2012 on the western edge of the area, in which, Oil Search participated. The well was drilled to a depth of approximately 3,800 m but initial petrophysical evaluations indicated that a prospective reservoir interval was not encountered. The majority of the application area was last held by Toro Oil Ltd, 