Australian Oil Company (ASX: AOK) has lifted its Surat Basin reactivation campaign up a gear, returning the Emu Apple-1 oil well to production in Queensland.

The company was also advancing restarts at the Riverslea oil field and the Major Gas Field, targeting new production and revenue across its Surat assets.

The company told the ASX Emu Apple-1, in licence PL 264, was successfully acidised and progressively brought back online, with pump strokes returning to pre-intervention rates.

Related: AOK barrels towards first Emu Apple oil lift

The company said the intervention marked a significant milestone in restoring oil deliverability from the critical asset.

Fluid levels were to be checked this week, with early indications suggesting the well had better reservoir communication than before treatment.

The hydraulic pump rate would be increased slowly as the well cleaned up, to gauge sustainable post-intervention production, the company said.

Australian Oil Company managing director Kane Marshall said the reactivation campaign had moved up a gear.

“With Emu Apple-1 safely back online and strong progress at Riverslea and the Major Gas Field, we are positioned to deliver increased production, commercial flexibility and long-term value for shareholders. 

“Our team’s focus on operational integrity and the strategic restart of key assets ensures continued momentum throughout 2026.”

At the Riverslea and Yapunyah fields in PL 30, field visits were scheduled this week to plan remediation of evaporation ponds before a restart.

The company had collected additional Riverslea-3 oil samples and sent them for assaying to underpin an oil sales agreement for the field’s restart.

Australian Oil said the Riverslea restart remained a strategic priority as it targeted a swift return to production amid stronger oil prices.

At the Major Gas Field in PL 512, the company met adjacent operators to progress metering skids and ancillary equipment for a gas connection point.

The equipment would support a gas sales agreement and the restart of the Major-4 well this year, expanding the company’s revenue base.