Roch SA, operator of the Coiron Amargo block in Argentina’s Neuquen basin, will attempt completion in the Vaca Muerta shale at the CAS X-5 well.
Drilled to 11,155 ft on the southern part of the 100,000-acre block, the well penetrated 100 m of Vaca Muerta shale as indicated on logs and has been cased. The shale has a total organic carbon value of more than 4%.
Based on technical information gathered to date, Coiron Amargo has some of the highest TOC content in the basin, and based on core data on the block, the lower Vaca Muerta at CAS X-5 is expected to have around 7% porosity, said Madalena Ventures Inc., Calgary, which has a 35% working interest in the block.
Other interests in Coiron Amargo are Roch 20% and Apco International Oil & Gas Inc., Tulsa, 45%.
Madalena Ventures noted that recent joint ventures have been formed near Coiron Amargo by both Chevron and Bridas on YPF-held acreage for an estimated $1-1.5 billion to earn various working interests in the Vaca Muerta shale.