Newfield Exploration Company has begun site preparation work on its first Marcellus Shale geological test well in Wayne County. The vertical well is located on private property in Manchester Township about 20 miles north of Honesdale. This will be the first well conducted as part of a joint venture with Hess Corporation. Newfield operates the venture with a 50 percent working interest. Newfield plans to drill three to five geological test wells in Wayne County during 2010.
Preparation for the site, known as Teeple 1-1, will be performed over a period of several weeks by the H&K Group of Hunlock Creek, Pa. The drill site is located along Hancock Highway (191) near the intersection of Legion Road. A pad approximately 1.5 acres (approximately 225’ X 290’) is being built to accommodate the drilling rig.
This site preparation is necessary prior to the arrival of the Union Drilling Rig #48, expected in June.
The Union #48 is a 900 horsepower, trailer-mounted rig that has been drilling throughout the state. It has a five member crew comprised primarily of workers from Pennsylvania. The rig will work under Newfield supervision and its strict standards regarding safety and the environment and will follow all applicable state and local regulations. The rig will operate on a continuous basis for approximately one month to drill this first well.
“The purpose of this well is to gather the geologic information about the formations in the area,” said Donny Torres, Newfield subsurface manager. “We will drill to approximately 8,300 feet to collect core samples and gather technical data. The information we obtain from this well will help determine the volume of gas in place.”
Since it is a geological test well, it is not included in the scope of the recent Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) announcement regarding review of natural gas well pad projects.
Newfield’s planned geological test well will use several thousand barrels of water during the drilling process.
Appropriate permits for site preparation and this first test well have been obtained from a variety of agencies including the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Newfield also has coordinated activities with Township Supervisors on road use agreements. While the company has had open dialog with the DRBC, permitting from that agency is not needed for test well sites.
Next steps
“We read with great interest the May 6 news release from the Delaware River Basin Commission: DRBC WILL REVIEW NATURAL GAS WELL PAD PROJECTS AFTER ADOPTION OF NEW REGULATIONS,” said Barry Boone, President of Newfield Appalachia. “We are pleased to be moving forward with our test program but the DRBC’s postponement of permits until specific regulatory guidelines are developed will prohibit industry’s ability to complete wells and thereby adequately assess this resource.”
Regulations are already in place in Pennsylvania today with industry running about 80 drilling rigs in the state. “We are committed to working with the DRBC to move swiftly in the development of its new framework and to utilize existing regulations in the state of Pennsylvania that allow for the responsible development of the Marcellus Shale,” said Boone.
If a local resident has a question about leasing, please contact Newfield’s Honesdale office at (570) 352-3131.
Manchester Twp. —
