Marcellus, other zones probed in New York's Java

April 28, 2010
Mesa Energy Holdings Inc., Dallas, said open hole logs indicate hydrocarbon prospectivity in several Devonian zones including Marcellus shale and Onondaga limestone in Java field in Wyoming County 30 miles southeast of Buffalo, NY.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Apr. 28
-- Mesa Energy Holdings Inc., Dallas, said open hole logs indicate hydrocarbon prospectivity in several Devonian zones including Marcellus shale and Onondaga limestone in Java field in Wyoming County 30 miles southeast of Buffalo, NY.

Mesa Energy owns a 100% working interest in Java field, which averages a combined 50 Mcfd of gas from Lower Silurian Medina sandstone at 3,000 ft. Seventeen of the field’s 19 wells are producing. Java field was discovered in 1930. Some 3,235 mineral acres are held by production.

The company plugged back the Reisdorf Unit-1 well in the northern part of the field to 2,400 ft, removed casing to 1,529 ft, and ran open hole logs.

“Early reports confirm that the Marcellus zone is highly prospective as are a number of stacked shale zones above the Marcellus, all of which, including the Marcellus, are collectively referred to as the Hamilton Group,” Mesa Energy said. “The Onondaga, a limestone zone below the Marcellus, also appears to be prospective and is a zone that could lend itself to horizontal drilling at a future date.”

“The shales in western New York differ from those in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in that the series of stacked shales known as the Hamilton Group is not present further south in Pennsylvania and West Virginia,” said Randy M. Griffin, Mesa Energy chief executive officer. “The stacked shales of the Hamilton Group above the Marcellus create an engineering challenge but also provide significant additional opportunity for development of natural gas reserves in the region.”

Mesa Energy chose two wellbores for plug-back and fracing of Marcellus primary target at between 1,200-2,000 ft.

The company said the next phase of development could include drilling of as many as 80 Devonian shale wells as well as aggressive leasing of additional acreage for future development.