Search For New Shale Gas Plays Continues

This is good news for the industry. It seems there are many, many places where gas-containing shales like this one in Utah can, and should be tested. I hope this is successful. I wonder how many geologists are going back through old mud logs and looking at gas shows detected while drilling through shales? I wonder how many of these old mud logs are preserved and accessible?
Peter


Barrett probing two eastern Utah gas shales
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 6 -- Bill Barrett Corp., Denver, expects to learn the outcome by mid-2009 at a horizontal well spud late in the first quarter of 2009 seeking gas in Upper Mississippian Manning Canyon shale at 8,000 ft true vertical depth.

The prospect lies in northern Emery County southeast of Price, Utah, along the San Rafael Swell on the Uinta basin southwestern flank. Numerous wells as far west as Drunkards Wash coalbed methane field in Carbon County have had gas shows in Manning Canyon.

The horizontal well offsets an initial vertical well drilled in 2008 that indicated good gas shows and high gas content in core. Bill Barrett holds 50% working interest in the deep prospect.

The company has also drilled two vertical wells to 3,900 ft in the fractured Juana Lopez shale member of the Upper Cretaceous Mancos formation, in which it has 100% working interest. It plans to complete testing those wells in 2010.