Range presses Virginia multipay gas drilling

Feb. 20, 2006
Range Resources Corp., Fort Worth, is pursuing coalbed methane and gas in shallow and deep tight formations with horizontal and vertical wells in southwestern Virginia.

Range Resources Corp., Fort Worth, is pursuing coalbed methane and gas in shallow and deep tight formations with horizontal and vertical wells in southwestern Virginia.

Range, whose Appalachian division operated or participated in 173 successful development wells in the last 3 months of 2005, said CBM production is 30% higher than projected at Nora and Haysi fields (OGJ Online, Dec. 2, 2004).

The company budgeted 200 wells in 2006 at Nora field, where it drilled 159 successful wells in 2005. It plans 35 wells this year at Haysi, where it drilled 16 last year.

Range’s interests in the two fields total 287,000 acres, of which less than 15% of the CBM has been developed.

The company’s Appalachian shale acreage position totals 166,000 acres. The early horizontal and vertical wells are targeting deep and shallow shale formations.