Area Drilling

Alberta

PetroCorp Inc., Houston, plans to acquire 2D and 3D seismic data in first half 1997 on properties acquired from privately held Millarville Oil & Gas Ltd.

The properties, acquired through PetroCorp's PCC Energy Ltd. subsidiary, included 900,000 bbl of oil and 6.4 bcf of gas. The areas averaged 443 b/d of oil and 2.77 MMcfd of gas in 1996.

Northern Canada

Canada's Northern Oil & Gas Directorate, Ottawa, sought industry nominations through Apr. 4 of Beaufort Sea, Arctic Islands, and Mackenzie delta tracts to be included in a 1997 call for bids.

China

Phillips Petroleum Co.'s Phillips China Inc. plans to acquire more seismic data and drill two more exploratory wells later this year in Bohai Bay.

Phillips' first wildcat, Bozhong 1, tested hydrocarbons at noncommercial rates. It was drilled to 14,105 ft in 85 ft of water on the southwest part of the 2.3 million acre Bozhong Block 150 miles east of Beijing.

Colombia

Coplex Resources NL's Petrolex Energy Corp. unit spudded the Rubiales 24 well, launching the Rubiales oil field development program.

The Rubiales 23, 21, 20, 25, and 22 wells will follow.

Coplex said one exploratory well each is to be drilled on its Maracas and Los Toches concessions in northern Colombia during first half 1997.

Equatorial Guinea

United Meridian Corp., Houston, was starting the Tsavorita 1A replacement well offshore.

The initial well, Tsavorita 1, experienced a shallow dry gas kick at 3,605 ft and flowed 10 hr. The company reported no injuries, pollution, or apparent rig damage.

Arkansas

Seeco Inc., Oklahoma City, completed a shallow Pennsylvanian gas find in Franklin County of the Arkoma basin.

The 1 Federal, in 11-11n-28w, more than 1 mile north of Jethro gas field, flowed at the rate of 760 Mcfd in 12 hr on a 24/64 in. choke with 210 psi FTP from Moyer perforations at 1,049-59 ft, Petroleum Information reported.

California

Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co. placed a dual Contra Costa County gas discovery on production after two years' permitting delay.

The 1 Webb tract, in 34-3n-3e, is delivering more than 4 MMcfd of gas from Eocene Hamilton sand at 5,934-88 ft and Paleocene Martinez sand at 6,338-41 ft. Net pay totaled 147 ft.

The well is 11/2 miles southeast of Rio Vista gas field, which with 3.42 tcf of cumulative production is California's largest gas field. It produces through a 6 in. pipeline to a company well on Bethel Island in Dutch Slough gas field.

The well's flow boosted Tri-Valley's operated production to more than 8.7 MMcfd of high BTU gas, ranking it in the top 10 dry gas producers in California out of 118 operators in the northern California gas province.

Tri-Valley plans two more development wells in first half 1997 and a deeper pool wildcat in abandoned Tracy gas field, a 1935 discovery that was the Sacramento Valley's first commercial gas field. The 1 Pimental, in 15-2s-3e, San Joaquin County, targets Upper Cretaceous Lathrop and Winters sands at 9,300 ft TVD.

Louisiana

Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, is preparing to shoot three 3D seismic surveys this year to further evaluate the 50-75 Cretaceous Tuscaloosa prospects the company believes it may have under its 100,000 acres in the Baton Rouge area.

Chesapeake's first Tusca- loosa producer, the 1-40 Thomas, averaged 1,050 b/d of oil and 4.3 MMcfd of gas its first 10 days on production. The company has spudded the 1-98 Zachary, a 1 mile west offset.

Chesapeake had 10 rigs running in January along the Louisiana Austin chalk trend.

Its 1-11 Martin, in Masters Creek field, averaged 1,200 b/d of oil and 4.6 MMcfd of gas from a single Austin chalk lateral.

The 1-31 Lawton in the same field averaged 3,650 b/d of oil and 10.2 MMcfd of gas from a single Austin chalk lateral.

New Mexico

Mallon Resources Corp., Denver, increased its interest to 70% from 50% and became operator of a 20,000 acre block in the East Blanco area of the San Juan basin.

The acquisition included 3 bcf of proved gas reserves with 28 gas wells and 16 proved undeveloped drilling locations, giving Mallon interests in 37 sq miles.

Mallon plans to recomplete several wells in Ojo Alamo at 3,000 ft and Fruitland coal at 3,800 ft. The wells produce from Pictured Cliffs at 4,000 ft.

Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, believes as many as 50 prospective vertical wells can be drilled on its 25,000 acre Lovington oil project in Lea County, where it has completed four Strawn wells.

The company plans to drill 10-20 of these prospects this year. Two 1996 3D seismic surveys identified the prospects.

New York

The state's fields produced 303,780 bbl of oil in 1995, up from 298,930 bbl in 1994, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reported.

Gas production fell to 18.7 bcf in 1995 from 20.4 bcf in 1994. Gas was produced in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, and Tioga counties.

Oklahoma

Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, was using nine rigs to develop the Knox, Golden Trend, and Sholem Alechem areas of southern Oklahoma.

Six of the rigs are drilling horizontal wells to the Sycamore and McLish formations.

Texas

Gulf Coast

Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, was running 10 rigs in deep Giddings field last month.

The most recent completion, 1H Hermann, averaged 48.1 MMcfd of gas during its first week of production from a single Austin chalk lateral.

West Central

Sundance Resources Inc., Dallas, plans three more Pennsylvanian Gardner lime wells in Northwest Tuscola field in Taylor County in first quarter 1997.

The 1 Stockton flowed 142 b/d of oil and 153 Mcfd of gas from 4,262-74 ft. The 1 Mitchell flowed 160 b/d of oil and 168 Mcfd of gas on a 10/64 in. choke.

Utah

Rangeland Petroleum, Midland, Tex., was starting a 6,000 ft wildcat to Cambrian Tapeats sand in Wayne County. The 1 Teasdale, in 16-30s-6e, is about 25 miles south-southwest of abandoned Last Chance gas field.

Conoco and Rangeland planned to drill a number of wells in first half 1997 in areas where Conoco identified 30-50 geologic targets holding perhaps as much as 3-5 billion bbl of oil. The area, part of the Kaiparowits basin and designated a national monument last September, falls under a management plan to be developed the next 3 years, the Utah Geological Survey said.

West Virginia

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Charleston, staked a remote wildcat in Monroe County.

The 1 Sizemore is projected to 9,000 ft or Lower Silurian Tuscarora sand, PI reported. The location is 13 miles south of Williamsburg Oris- kany gas field.