According to a British Geological Survey study, the country’s Carboniferous Bowland shale holds between 822 trillion and 2,281 trillion cubic feet of gas. The Bowland Basin, which covers 11 counties in the north of England, is in an area between Wrexham and Blackpool in the west and Nottingham and Scarborough in the east. The Geological Survey is currently working on shale-gas estimates for the Weald Basin, in southeast England.

Shale-gas development is in its early stages in the U.K., but there are already 176 licenses for onshore oil and gas exploration issued.

The report does not forecast technically recoverable or commercial volumes but, according to the Energy Minister, “gives industry and regulators an indication of how best to plan future exploratory drilling, so that they can determine how much of the gas would be able to be commercially recovered.” The government expects considerable interest from developers in the 14th onshore licensing round, which is planned for 2014.

Across the Channel, France’s president said that he would say no to any shale-gas exploration while he is in office. “The debate on shale gas has gone on too long,” he said.

France potentially holds some of Europe’s largest reserves of shale gas.

—Larry Prado

1 Chile

A new oil and gas field discovery was announced by GeoPark on the Flamenco Block in Chile. The Tierra del Fuego exploration well, #1-Chercan, was drilled to 2,066 meters. After unspecified fracture stimulation, a production test was run in Tobifera, and the well flowed approximately 4 million cu. ft. of gas and 35 bbl. of oil per day. The wellhead pressure was 1,800 psi when tested on an 8-millimeter choke. Twenty one exploratory wells are planned on Flamenco, Campanario, and Isla Norte Blocks in Tierra del Fuego. Two additional wells, #1-Omeling and #3-Yakamush on the Flamenco Block, are awaiting tests. GeoPark operates and has a 50% working interest in the Flamenco and Campanario Blocks and a 60% working interest in the Isla Norte Block. Empresa Nacional de Petroleo de Chile owns the remaining working interests in each block. Geo - Park’s headquarters are in Bermuda.

2 Uruguay

Schuepbach Energy International has planned a two-well, 2,000-meter core drilling program onshore Uruguay in the shale-rich Norte Basin. The initial wells will test the oil and gas potential of the 3.5 million-acre basin play in Uruguay and both wells will target organic-rich shales of similar age to Bakken in North America. The ventures have planned depths of between 700 and 1,300 meters. The two ventures represent the first deep onshore petroleum exploration in Uruguay in over 30 years and the first focused on unconventional targets. Dallas-based Schuepbach is the operator of the Piedra Sola and Salto Blocks with 100% interest.

3 Norway

Lundin Petroleum penetrated an 11.5-meter oil column at Johan Sverdrup appraisal well #16/3-6 in PL501 of the Norwegian North Sea. The oil column has good-quality sandstones of Upper Jurassic age. It found a 24-meter gross reservoir section of which 11.5 meters were above the oil-water contact and rest on granitic basement. The well was drilled to 2,025 meters and a coring and logging program has been completed. A pressure gauge was installed to monitor the reservoir pressure for a period of two to five years. Stockholm-based Lundin is the operator of PL501, Block 16/4, and the Sverdrup wells with 40% interest in partnership with Statoil, 40%, and Maersk Oil Norway 20%.

4 Nigeria

According to Afren Plc, an analysis of drilling and wireline logging at Nigerian exploration well #1-Ogo indicates a significant light-oil accumulation. The London-based company reported that the 3,697-meter well hit a gross hydrocarbon section of 160 meters, with 66 meters of net stacked pay. The venture was targeting 78 million bbl. of oil equivalent of gross P50 prospective resources. The well is in offshore Benin Basin Block OPL310. The discovery is testing a four-way dip-closed structure in the Turonian, Cenomanian, and Albian sandstone reservoirs and confirms the extension of Cretaceous found at significant discoveries along the West African Transform Margin. A sidetrack, #1-ST-Ogo, will test a new play of trapped sediments that pinch out onto the basement high targeting 124 million bbl. of oil equivalent of gross P50 prospective resources. Optimum is the operator of Block OPL310 and #1-Ogo with 60% participating interest. Afren holds 22.86% participating interest, and Lekoil has 17.14% participating interest.

5 Lithuania

At exploration well #1-Lapgiriai in onshore Lithuanian Block Raiseiniai, Stockholm-based Tethys Oil has tested small amounts of oil, confirming the presence of an active petroleum system. The well was drilled to 1,129 meters and oil was found in the Silurian limestone formation. Tethys is now drilling #2-Silalel on the Rietavas Block to appraise the Silale oilfield; exploration and appraisal work on the block continues. An appraisal well, #2-Silale, is now under way. Minijos Nafta is the operator of the Raiseiniai and Rietavas blocks.

6 Egypt

A West El Manzala Concession gas field discovery was announced by Dana Gas in Egypt’s Nile Delta. The #1-Begonia exploration well hit 15 meters of net pay in Lower Abu Madi in a good quality sandstone reservoir. The well flowed 9.4 million cu. ft. of gas and 133 bbl. per day of condensate. The evaluated resources for the Abu Madi Lower pay zone are between 7- and 15 billion cu. ft. and approximately 100,000 bbl. of condensate. Once the field is fully developed, it is expected to add about 1,600 bbl. of oil equivalent of production per day. Two additional appraisal wells near the discovery are planned by year-end 2013. Dana Gas is based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

7 South Africa

According to Oil and Gas International, Kinetiko Energy Ltd. announced results from exploration pilot test wells on the Northern License (56ER) in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The #10PTR-KA flowed gas at significant rates and is currently being pressure tested. The #11PT-KA and #07PT-KA have had gas shows. The #05PT-KA had some gas flow but not enough to warrant further testing. A re-drill at #10PTR-KA has produced a stabilized gas flow of 45,000 cu. ft. per day over a 10-day period. Up to eight pilot test wells on the Southern License (38ER) have been approved and five are planned to be drilled as part of Phase 2. Subiaco, Western Australia-based Kinetiko is the operator of the two gas licenses in the Amersfoort Project with 49% interest under an agreement with its South African partner Badimo Gas, which holds the remaining 51%.

8 Tanzania

BG Group announced results from an offshore Tanzania exploration/appraisal well, #1-Ngisi, in Block 4. The discovery increases the block’s estimated gas reserves to 4.5 trillion cu. ft. The venture is approximately five kilometers northeast of discovery well #1-Chewa. Two sidetracks are planned to further delineate both Chewa and Ngisi. Gas pay was encountered in the Ngisi prospect within a high net-to-gross reservoir interval. The wells have increased the mean recoverable resource of the Chewa-Pweza-Ngisi hub from 3.7 trillion cu. ft. to 4.5 trillion cu. ft. A drillship has been moved to drill #1-Mkizi. London-based BG is the operator of Tanzania’s blocks 1, 3, and 4 and the Ngisi discovery with 60% interest, in partnership with Ophir, holding the remaining 40%.

9 Indonesia

A gas discovery was reported at offshore Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Salamander Energy well, #1-Tayum, is in the Makassar Strait. The #1-Tayum was directionally drilled to 11,095 ft. and preliminary well log evaluation indicates that the well hit approximately 49 vertical ft. of net gas pay from multiple sandstone intervals between 2,377 and 7,180 ft. within the Miocene to Pliocene section. Gas samples were also recovered from interpreted shaley-sand gas-pay intervals between 7,366-7,402 ft. Results are being evaluated along with data from two earlier gas discoveries, #1-Dambus and #1-Mangkok. KrisEnergy is the operator of the Kutai Block with 54.6% interest in partnership with Singapore-based Salamander Energy, 23.4%, and Orchid Kutai,22%.

10 Australia

According to Houston-based Apache Corp., wireline logs have confirmed a gas discovery at the #1-Bianchi appraisal well in the Carnarvon Basin, retention lease WA-49-R, offshore Australia. Gas was encountered in the Triassic Mungaroo sandstones in a separate fault block down-dip from #1ST Zola-1. Further analysis is planned on the lower section of the potential gas-bearing interval. Apache will drill the well to 5,580 meters. Apache is the operator of WA-49-R and #1-Bianchi with 30.25% interest in partnership with Santos Offshore (24.75%), OMV Australia (20%), JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Australia (15%), and Tap (10%).

11 Australia

At development well #8-Worrior in Australia’s Cooper Basin, Senex Energy hit multiple oil-bearing formations in Worrior Field. The venture is in the PPl207 permit. Initial electric log interpretation indicated up to 18 meters of net oil pay. The #8-Worrior was drilled to 1,778 meters. Free oil was produced during drilling and well logs indicate 18 meters of pay across McKinlay, Namur Sandstone, and Patcha - warra. Brisbane-based Senex will move the rig to exploration well #9-Worrior to test a Patchawarra oil target on the flank of the main Worrior structure that has been calculated to potentially contain up to 12 million bbl. of oil in place. Senex is the operator of PPL207 and the Worrior Field with 70% interest in partnership with Cooper Energy, which holds the remaining 30%.

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