Pine Cliff Energy Ltd., Calgary, placed its third well targeting the Pekisko formation in Central Alberta on production Jan. 18 following encouraging results from two additional placed on production in fourth-quarter 2019, the company said in a development program update.
The company’s first horizontal oil well (13-33) targeting the formation came on production on Jan. 18, 2019 and has averaged 249 boe/d (111 bbl/d oil, 27 bbl/d natural gas liquids, and 666 Mcf/d natural gas) through the first 365 days of production. Historically horizontal wells in the area were completed with acid, etching a small area in a single pay zone, but Pine Cliff’s 13-33 well employed a multi-stage, crosslinked gel stimulation, creating a more complex fracture with higher conductivity, the company reported in a November 2019 investor presentation.
Two additional Pekisko wells (100% working interest) were drilled in fourth-quarter 2019. Well 4-21 was placed on production Dec. 19, 2019, with IP30 rates averaging 308 boe/d (150 bbl/d oil, 31 bbl/d natural gas liquids, and 761 Mcf/d natural gas). Well 1-15 was placed on production Jan. 18.
Pay in the Pekisko development is associated with three zones, the lower two containing oil. Porosity is post depositional and highly complex.
Twining Pekisko oil field—135 km northeast of Calgary—was discovered in 1952 through vertical well development. The first horizontal (> 2300 m measured depth) well was drilled in 1991. Oil and gas are trapped in the reservoir close to the subcrop edge (pinch-out).
The company’s development plan is targeting a volumetric recovery of 10%.