Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. provided an operational update on its recently completed well in the Delaware Basin in West Texas and the completion of an eight-well pad in the Horn River Basin in British Columbia (BC).

In Pecos County in West Texas the company re-entered the vertical Price Ranch No. 1 well and completed a 1,500-foot horizontal lateral with six hydraulic fracture (frack) stages in the Third Bone Spring formation. The well, in which Quicksilver has a 100% working interest, produced at an initial rate of 300 boe/d, with 80% oil and 20% high-Btu natural gas and has flowed at an average 10-day rate of 200 boe/d. The company plans to drill additional wells having 6,000- to 7,500-foot laterals and at least 20 frack stages.

Quicksilver holds 45,000 acres surrounding the well in Pecos County and an additional 60,000 acres across the southern Midland and Delaware basins in West Texas, which the company believes to be prospective of oil from the Bone Spring and Wolfcamp formations.

“The results from our Bone Springs completion are a very good way to kick off our oil drilling program in West Texas. We expect that future wells will have significantly longer laterals and much larger fracture treatments which should translate into greater production volumes,” said Quicksilver Chairman Toby Darden. “In addition, we are highly encouraged with our latest completions in the Horn River Basin and intend to continue our efforts to integrate these gas volumes into better downstream markets, including [liquefied natural gas] exports.”

In the Horn River Basin, cleanup activities on the eight-well pad are complete and each well is now capable of production, Quicksilver said. Wells were completed with laterals of 5,400-8,600 feet with 16-26 frack stages in each well, averaging 23 stages. With flow rates restricted by the capability of surface equipment, all eight wells have “significantly exceeded” initial production expectations with individual flow rates between 23 and 34 MMcf/d at high flowing pressures, Quicksilver said. Based on the strong initial flow tests, Quicksilver expects to see a “significant” improvement in the type curves for both the Klua and Muskwa primary pay sections. Five Muskwa and three Klua wells were drilled on the pad.

“The company believes the results from these wells, the continuous nature of the pay sections as shown in 3-D seismic and the pay mapping from the six exploration wells drilled on the northern part of Quicksilver’s acreage are indicative of the continuity of the formation throughout the company’s 130,000-net acre position,” the company said.

Currently, the pad is producing 73 MMcf/d from three wells with the remaining wells shut-in. Quicksilver said it expects to further restrict the flow from the pad to meet minimum midstream commitments under various agreements, and subsequently to increase the flow rate to match elevated midstream commitments as necessary.