Havana, August 22 (RHC/BNamericas)-- Melbana Energy of Australia has begun field work on its Block 9 acreage in Cuba, with local contractors undertaking initial site surveys around the proposed Alameda-1 well location, the nearby supporting campsite and local access roads, said a company press release.

The Melbourne-based company was awarded an eight-month exploration extension for the block by Cuba's local oil firm Cupet.

Melbana had said in April it would accelerate drilling at the block, and plans to drill two exploration wells. The company described commencement of field survey work in Block 9 as a significant milestone in preparation for the drilling of the wells, in mid-2018. 

Quoted by the business publication Bnamericas, Melbana managing director and CEO Peter Stickland said on Tuesday they were looking forward to advancing on the required regulatory steps to support their exploration program. The company said in its earnings report for the second quarter of the year that it estimated the Cuba block to have an exploration potential of 12.5 billion barrels of oil-in-place, with a prospective resource of 637 million barrels.