Tuscaloosa Briefs

June 10, 2014

Sanchez to spud first operated TMS well

Sanchez Energy Corp. expects to spud its first operated well in the Tuscaloosa Marine shale (TMS) in May. The Dry Fork East #2H will be drilled in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, using a 7,000 ft lateral.

The planned pilot hole is part of the company's appraisal program in Wilkinson County, which also involves taking extensive cores and running additional logs.

Tony Sanchez III, president and chief executive officer of Sanchez, said the company expects to continuously utilize one rig in the TMS during the remainder of 2014. Plans call for drilling four gross operated wells and participating in 10-15 gross non-operated wells.

"We are pleased with recent results coming from the TMS play," Sanchez said. "We anticipate having non-operated interests in up to five [TMS] wells that are either drilling now or are expected to spud during the second quarter--not including the Lawson 25H-1 well, which has seen very good sustained production rates from a short, 3,800-foot lateral with only 14 frac stages."

Sanchez added that several operators are expected to release TMS well results in the coming months.

The bulk of Sanchez production comes from the Eagle Ford shale in south Texas, where the company holds 120,000 net leasehold acres. Sanchez will this year run six gross rigs in the Eagle Ford as it ramps up pad drilling activities. Company-wide production totaled 18,784 boe/d in the first quarter 2014, a 376% increase from the year-earlier period.