Aggregate flow from Wressle-1 tops 700 boepd

By Amy McLellan

More good news for backers of a trio of AIM-listed onshore drillers when the fourth zone tested at the Wressle-1 oil discovery in the East Midlands yielded oil, making it four out of four in this testing programme. Zone 3a, the lower interval in the Penistone Flags, flowed at a rate equivalent to 77 bpd of 33-degree API oil from a 7.5 metre perforated interval, confirming the presence of an oil column, albeit in tighter sandstones, below the gas leg in Zone 3. This takes the aggregate production from the four discrete zones tested to 710 boepd.

This is a real coup for the AIM companies behind the well: operator Egdon Resources has a 25 per cent stake, Europa Oil & Gas with 33.3 per cent, and Union Jack Oil with 8.3 per cent. Privately-owned Celtique holds the balance.

Wressle-1 in PEDL 180, to the east of Scunthorpe, has how flowed oil and gas from three separate reservoirs, the Ashover Grit, the Wingfield Flags and the Penistone Flags. The partners will now analyse the downhole pressure and oil sample data from the well and integrate this new information into an updated field model to inform future development planning.

They are also planning a pumped extended well test of the Ashover Grit and Penistone Flags oil intervals to quantify the production levels that could be attained during production: this is expected to get underway in mid-May and will continue for up to two months. The oil from the EWT will be sold.

Mark Abbott, managing director of Egdon Resources, said the results were “very positive. “To date the well has successfully flowed hydrocarbons from four discrete intervals, with the Penistone Flags delivering a facilities restricted gas flowrate of 1.7 mmcfd, plus an aggregate 89 bopd; free-flowing rates of up to 182 bopd and 0.46 mmcfd from the Wingfield Flags and 80 bopd from the Ashover Grit,” said Abbott.

Europa’s CEO, Hugh Mackay, also hailed the “excellent result”. “Thanks to our 33 per cent interest in the well and the production rates achieved so far in testing, Wressle has the potential to materially increase Europa’s existing UK production and revenues,” said Mackay.

Share in Egdon were up more than 10 per cent at 8.12 pence last evening.