California: Paloma well flows gas from San Joaquin

July 6, 2012
The Neon Energy Ltd.-operated Paloma-3 well in Paloma field in Kern County, Calif., has flowed gas to surface at unstabilized rates as high as 968 Mcfd from a 5-ft thick sand at 5,435 ft, said partner Solimar Energy Ltd., Melbourne. TD is 6,000 ft.

The Neon Energy Ltd.-operated Paloma-3 well in Paloma field in Kern County, Calif., has flowed gas to surface at unstabilized rates as high as 968 Mcfd from a 5-ft thick sand at 5,435 ft, said partner Solimar Energy Ltd., Melbourne. TD is 6,000 ft.

The partners have tested the first of a number of potentially gas-bearing sandstone reservoirs in the Pliocene San Joaquin formation that have been identified in the well. Multiple, relatively thin gas sand reservoirs are typical of the San Joaquin formation gas fields in the area.

The initial test was conducted per program with a limited pressure drawdown so as not to risk damaging the fine-grained reservoir and in keeping with local practice. As a result clean up and a stabilized flow was not achieved in the initial flow period, and further testing will be required to assess the gas volumes being accessed and the commercial significance of the gas zone.

Further tests are pending completion at the Paloma Deep-2 well, where wireline logs have now been run at TD of 13,931 feet after encountering extensive oil and gas shows.

Solimar noted that it is participating in concurrent drilling and testing at the Paloma Deep-1 and 2 wells on the adjacent leasehold.