Union Pacific Resources Group Inc. (UPR), Fort Worth, and partner Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, have made a gas discovery on the Etouffee prospect with their Continental Land & Fur Co. Inc. 1 well (CLF 1), about 15 miles southeast of Morgan City in Terrebonne Parish, La.
Etouffee is in the Middle Miocene; it potentially contains "several hundred bcfe" of reserves, says UPR, although the partners' current estimate of reserves associated with CLF 1 is about 50 bcfe.
CLF 1 was drilled to 19,270 ft TD and cut more than 260 ft of gross pay starting at 18,500 ft.
"Net pay sand in the well is over 100 ft and is excellent quality, with porosity up to 30%," said UPR.
UPR holds a 66.7% working interest in the well, while Cabot holds 33.3%.
The well was drilled by a barge rig owned by R&B Falcon Corp. (see cover photo). Work has already begun on a follow-up well, being drilled 2,500 ft from the bottomhole location of the original well. The follow-up is expected to reach completion by mid-February.
"The Etouffee prospect has all the characteristics to be a sizeable discovery capable of significant production starting in early 2000, said URP Chairman, Pres., and CEO George Lindahl III. "The 3D seismic data makes us optimistic about additional reserves on the structure...," Lindahl said.
UPR and Cabot have several additional prospects in the area, including the Turtle Soup prospect, about 5 miles east of CLF 1 (see map).