By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Mar. 4 -- The Appalachian basin operating unit of Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, revealed two more high volume Ordovician Black River gas completions in western New York and an active horizontal drilling program in the area in 2004.
The Reed Hz 1 and Hakes Hz 1 were each drilled to 9,850 ft TD and steered horizontally across a seismically defined graben in the Black River formation, said Fortuna Energy Inc. It gave no precise location information.
Reed flowed as much as 20.3 MMcfd, limited by surface equipment capacity, at 2,323 psi wellhead pressure. Hakes tested 17.5 MMcfd at 2,086 psi. Each is expected to have initial production capacity well above 20 MMcfd at pipeline pressure.
Fortuna said it has tested five successful wells in the past 4 months at combined rates of 69 MMcfd, starting with the Andrews discovery. Andrews is to go on line within days at 10 MMcfd increasing to 20 MMcfd later this month, and the two most recent completions are to be hooked up within 45 days.
The $85 million (Canadian) 2004 program calls for 11 horizontal Black River wells, three of which are drilling. The company expects to boost average production to more than 80 MMcfd this year from 60 MMcfd in 2003.
