Primary completes Montana test wells

Eric Lidji

Petroleum News Bakken

Primary Petroleum Corp. has completed the drilling, coring and logging of six stratigraphic test wells as part of a joint venture exploration program in the Pondera and Teton counties in northwestern Montana, the company said April 10. The JV is testing the resource potential in its Pondera-Teton prospect in the southern Alberta basin Bakken fairway.

The vertical depths of the test wells ranged from 4,200 to 6,500 feet with at least 120 feet of Bakken core recovered from each well, Primary Petroleum said.

The joint venture will issue a more detailed update on its program after the analysis of data from the test wells and before embarking on a horizontal drilling program in the Bakken.

Meantime, production casing has been set in two wells, to test them for the planning phase of the horizontal program and to test the conventional or secondary hydrocarbon reservoirs — the JV has been analyzing data both from the Bakken and from conventional reservoirs, Primary Petroleum said.

Four more wells

Based on data from the test wells, the partners have decided to drill up to four further vertical wells, to evaluate the Niksu, Sun River and Sunburst reservoirs. This drilling program will start immediately and will be completed prior to the start of the horizontal drilling, Primary Petroleum said.

Primary Petroleum also said that its joint venture partner is formulating plans to secure a drilling rig and support services for the horizontal drilling, with that program likely to start in late June or early July.

Primary Petroleum is continuing to acquire land in its area of interest, the company said.

---

Did you find this article interesting?

Tweet it

Digg it

Print this story | Email it to an associate.

Click here to subscribe to Petroleum News for as low as $69 per year.