The Floyd shale play of the Black Warrior Basin of Mississippi and Alabama lacks a primary operator that can fully reveal its potential, according to Kent A. Bowker, manager, Bowker Petroleum LLC. He spoke at the second annual Developing Unconventional Gas conference in Forth Worth, sponsored by Hart Energy Publishing LP.

Bowker was a lead geologist on the Barnett shale play for Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., which was responsible for revealing the potential of that play.

The Floyd is on trend with the Ouachita foldbelt, which hosts the Barnett and Fayetteville shale plays. The Barnett had a single champion-Mitchell Energy-and its work at the rock was not rewarding the first 16 years, Bowker noted.

The Fayetteville play has had a leading champion-Southwestern Energy Corp., which has had results in some two years. The Floyd (also known as the Neal shale) has not had a champion, however, Bowker said. Operators include Denbury Resources, David Arrington & Associates, Murphy Oil, Noble Energy, Bankers Petroleum, Cabot Oil & Gas, Carrizo Oil & Gas and Anadarko Petroleum.

"This could be problematic for the play, if we're all sitting around waiting for someone to step up," Bowker said. So far from the Floyd, gas has been produced but none has been sold.

Keys to a successful Barnett-type play are copious gas in place, the right type of gas in place and rock that can be effectively frac-stimulated, he said. The Floyd had all the right attributes, plus the gas it could offer would be at a premium to the Henry Hub price, he adds.

"It has all the geologic attributes we look for in a shale play. It's just going to take time before a company steps up to the plate."

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