Operations

Industry Brief

Apache Corp. said operations have been completed at a well at Main Pass 295 in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico that had an uncontrolled flow of natural gas fluid flowing underneath. The operator detected the flow on Feb. 4 and activated a blowout preventer, but tests indicated that the hydrocarbon had migrated from the bottom of the 8,300-foot hole to a shallower sand formation 1,100 feet below the sea floor (see Daily GPI, Feb. 19). A relief rig was sent to the location in case a separate well had to be drilled. The bottom of the well has been plugged and cemented, and the gas migration has been stopped, Apache said. Management still is evaluating the next steps for the well, which is in 218 feet of water.

March 1, 2013

Industry Briefs

An explosion in Mexico City on Thursday at Mexico’s state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, which killed at least 33 and injured 121 or more, may have been caused by an accident, authorities said. According to reports, the explosion occurred in the basement of the B2 Building, a seven-story structure that serves as an annex adjacent to Pemex’s executive tower. The blast destroyed most of the annex’s first and second floors but the building had not collapsed. Pemex reportedly said the explosion may have been caused by an electrical failure or a problem with a natural gas line.

February 4, 2013

Tennessee Drillers Go From Gas to Oil

Drilling in Eastern Tennessee’s dry gas Chattanooga Shale play has ceased due to low natural gas prices, so the focus has shifted to extracting oil from the state’s Fort Payne formation, which lies atop the Chattanooga. Miller Energy Resources, Inc. this week is shipping its first tanker truckload of oil produced from the Fort Payne’s only unconventional well, according to Gary Bible, vice president of geology for the Knoxville, TN-based firm.

February 1, 2013

Penn Virginia Grows Proved Oil, NGL Reserves

Six months after selling its Appalachian Basin portfolio to focus on the oily Eagle Ford Shale, Penn Virginia Corp. (PVA) said its operations in the latter were moving forward while proved reserves of oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) had increased during 2012.

January 31, 2013
Latest Abraxas Eagle Ford Well Raises the Bar

Latest Abraxas Eagle Ford Well Raises the Bar

In an operations update Monday, San Antonio, TX-based Abraxas Petroleum Corp. said a recent Eagle Ford Shale well turned in solid initial performance. The company’s third well in the WyCross area has outperformed a previous top performer.

January 30, 2013

Interior to Assess Shell’s Alaska Drilling Program

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said last week he is concerned about a series of incidents involving Royal Dutch Shell plc’s operations offshore Alaska and hopes an investigation will determine how to move forward.

January 14, 2013

Interior to Assess Shell’s Alaska Drilling Program

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday he is concerned about a series of incidents involving Royal Dutch Shell plc’s operations offshore Alaska and hopes an investigation will determine how to move forward.

January 11, 2013

Competition for Drilling Water Leading to Innovations

As drillers compete for access to water for their operations, researchers are looking for new ways to reuse and recycle wastewater for the good of the environment, as well as looking ahead to the possibility of more restrictions at the state or federal level that may be imposed on underground injection wells, according to Accenture.

January 2, 2013

Marcellus Lifts Cabot to Record Natural Gas Production

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. late Tuesday said for the first time in its history the Marcellus Shale operations surpassed 1 Bcf/d gross of natural gas production, primarily because of new wells and additional infrastructure.

December 20, 2012

Crosstex Expanding Louisiana NGL Facilities

Crosstex Energy LP is proceeding with Phase II of its Cajun-Sibon natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline extension and fractionator expansion in Louisiana.

December 12, 2012
1 5 6 7 8 9 45