Aurora Gas’ Nicolai Creek wells test at combined 7 mcf per day

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Aurora Gas LLC’s principal and president, Scott Pfoff, says the company’s two Nicolai Creek wells are testing at a combined flow rate of 7 million cubic feet per day.

Pfoff told attendees at the Resource Development Council for Alaska’s annual conference in Anchorage Nov. 21 that this past summer the company reentered the west Cook Inlet Nicolai Creek unit No. 2 well “and re-completed it to new pay identified by log analysis. We subsequently re-entered and sidetracked the Nicolai Creek No. 1 well to new pay.

“And I am very pleased to announce today that these two wells have tested a combined flow rate of about 7 million cubic feet per day. The absolute open flow potential of just the No. 2 well exceeds 16 million cubic feet per day,” Pfoff said.

The Houston-based independent produces about 1 million cubic feet a day from its Nicolai Creek unit. In May 2002 Aurora announced it had secured a $25 million line of equity for inlet acquisitions and further Nicolai Creek development.

In October, Aurora Gas closed a transaction with ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. to acquire a 50 percent working in interest in the Moquawkie field on the west side of the inlet. The same month it inked an agreement to buy all of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s Cook Inlet holdings, including the balance of Moquawkie.

With a $13.4 million capital budget for 2003, Pfoff said Aurora Gas plans expenditures on seismic, drilling, facilities and pipelines.