Energia Zachód, a 90% owned subsidiary of Aurelian Oil & Gas plc, has awarded Expro a well testing contract for operations in Poznan, Poland, on the Siekierki Tight Gas project. The contract is worth about $1.5million.

The contract will see Expro provide Energia Zachód with specialist well testing services, sampling & analysis services, equipment and personnel on the Trzek-2 and Trzek-3 wells.
Trzek-2 will be the first multi-fractured horizontal well on the Siekierki field, the first well of its kind in Poland. This is a type of well design that will become more apparent in Poland and the rest of Europe as the region sees its unconventional (shale) gas market develop.

Due to the nature of the completion techniques used, expertise in solids handling is required to successfully flow back and clean the wells post-fracturing. Expro has drawn upon its substantial shale gas flow back experience in the US to further improve the processes for the Continental European region.

"This is a significant first for Expro in providing well testing services to the emerging shale gas markets in Poland, a province we see as having considerable potential for growth," said Keith Palmer, Expro’s Europe CIS region director. "We are delighted to have been awarded this contract with Energia Zachód, which gives us a great platform from which to expand our unconventional gas operations in Poland."

Energia Zachód is a company owned 90% by Aurelian Oil & Gas plc and 10% by Avobone N.V