The Exploration Company (TXCO) is on a roll in Southwest Texaswith another high producer, its ninth consecutive successfulnatural gas well in the Prickly Pear (Glen Rose) Field west of SanAntonio, near the Mexican border.

The Paloma “E” No. 1-52 tested at up to 2.1 MMcf/d and 47barrels of condensate with a flowing tubing pressure of 1,825 psi.Estimated absolute open flow was 34 MMcf/d. “The well encountered80 feet of Glen Rose reef that appear to be gas productive,” saidExploration Company President James E. Sigmon. Previous wellstapped between 40 and 80 feet of gas-producing reef and individualwells are producing up to 3 MMcf/d.

“We’re being conservative in how we produce these wells,” saidspokesman Roberto R. Thomae. “We’re careful how we pull them sothat we don’t get water. Water is a problem here and we don’t wantto damage the reservoir.” He estimated the wells would produce overfive to seven years, although he pointed out the company has onlythree to four years experience with the formation and is “on acontinuing learning curve.”

The wells are coming in at around 5,000 feet. “I would saythey’re intermediate zone. This formation is coming in deeper inEast Texas, but we seem to be in an upthrown area.” He said thewells cost only $400,000 to drill “which makes payback pretty quickat 2 MMcf/d.”

TXCO has used new 3-D seismic data to pinpoint the reservoir andtap in without hitting water. The Field is located in MaverickCounty and is served by Aquila Pipeline on one side and West TexasGas on the other.

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