ADX Energy has completed encouraging multi-zone testing at its HOCH-1 gas well in Austria and will target at least one deeper reservoir in December. A combined workover program is also expected to lift Vienna Basin production by approximately 100 BOEPD, although both outcomes remain subject to further work.
- 3.15 MMCFPD commingled gas flow from four HOCH-1 zones
- Phase 2 to test at least one deeper Hall Channel reservoir
- Vienna Basin workover expected to add approximately 100 BOEPD
- Combined rig program starts 19 October 2026
- ADX holds a 50% economic interest in the HOCH discovery
HOCH-1 moves from early flow results to deeper testing
ADX Energy Ltd (ASX:ADX) is taking its Austrian gas program into its next test after reporting a second positive flow period at the HOCH-1 shallow gas well. Zones 2, 3, 4 and 5 flowed at an average 3.15 MMCFPD, equivalent to 548 BOEPD, over 12 hours during commingled testing.
That result builds on the initial test of Zone 2 alone, which averaged 2.7 MMCFPD, or 450 BOEPD, over 11 hours. The company says downhole flow and pressure data confirmed contributions from three additional gas zones during the commingled test. ADX holds a 50% economic interest in the HOCH gas discovery and operates the well in Upper Austria.
Hall Channel reservoirs become the next commercial test
The result extends the story from the well's first-stage testing to a more consequential question: how much of the deeper Hall Channel system can flow? ADX plans to test at least one further reservoir, Test Zone #6, during Phase 2. The company must first remove the current completion, drill through a cement plug and install a new testing completion before perforating the zone.
ADX's interpretation is supported by post-drill 3D seismic mapping, which correlates the deeper sands with nearby wells and indicates a stratigraphic trap extending at least 2.5 kilometres to the southeast. The company also points to historical reserves data from nearby Hall Channel production wells. Those indicators may support the case for lateral continuity, but they are not a substitute for the deeper zone's own flow and pressure results. Earlier, the had produced 3.15 MMCFPD from multiple zones, while prior pressure analysis indicated 3.5 MMCFPD potential for Zone 2.
Workover rig combines exploration with production uplift
The practical feature of the announcement is the decision to combine the HOCH-1 work with maintenance and enhancement activity at ADX's 100%-owned Vienna Basin fields. A contracted workover rig is scheduled to begin on 19 October, handling gas-zone perforation and completion work, a pump replacement, the HOCH-1 recompletion and a further Vienna Basin production interval with sand retention equipment.
ADX expects the Vienna Basin work to add approximately 100 BOEPD of oil and gas production, which it describes as roughly a 40% increase in Austrian production. The announcement does not disclose the program's cost or provide a confirmed date for the production uplift. HOCH-1 Phase 2 flow testing is planned to begin on 15 December 2026.
December testing will determine whether the promise extends deeper
The filing gives ADX two near-term operational milestones: the start of the combined workover program on 19 October and the planned HOCH-1 flow test from 15 December. The key evidence will be the deeper Hall Channel flow rate, pressure buildup behaviour and any subsequent reserves or commercial assessment. Until then, the 100 BOEPD production target and the broader reservoir potential remain company expectations rather than delivered output.
Bottom Line?
ADX has converted encouraging early HOCH-1 flows into a defined next test, but the investment case now depends on execution of the workover and evidence from the deeper Hall Channel zone.
Questions in the middle?
- Will Test Zone #6 match the flow performance seen in the shallower HOCH-1 intervals?
- How quickly and at what cost will the Vienna Basin work deliver the targeted 100 BOEPD uplift?
- Will pressure buildup data translate the mapped Hall Channel extension into a larger reserves or development case?