Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on December 7, 2013 at 12:07pm

Bruce,

As I commented in the General Discussion, some wells on Halterlein were plugged in February.  A "D" well and two "M" wells were plugged back then.  According to Oliver Perry the wells were labeled as follows:

M = Marcellus

D = Utica

S = Burkett (upper Devonian).

But with Utica being a Silurian time period shale and Burkett being Upper Devonian I thought those designators might be reversed.  ???

SWEPI is a mystery.

Phil

Permalink Reply by Oliver Perry on December 7, 2013 at 2:09pm

Bruce,

I agree, the well plugging is not a good sign for northern Butler County.

Phil,

I have no idea why Swepi designates the Utica with a "D"  & the Burkett with a "S" but that is the way I am reading the well plats. I attached the Halterlein plats for anyone interested.

Swepi sure is a mystery. I wish XTO or REX were drilling in northern Butler County, they both seem to really know what they are doing.

Attachments:

• Halterlein Well Plats.pdf, 5.1 MB

Permalink Reply by Jon on December 7, 2013 at 7:25pm

Aren't all of the wells in northern butler county plugged since there's no infrastructure?

Permalink Reply by FairMktValue on December 8, 2013 at 2:36am

Jon,

I believe "plugging" is permanent - "shut in" is temporary.

I think a lot of wells, not just North are "shut in" right now. - infrastructure.

Oliver or Phil proably can confirm that.

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on December 8, 2013 at 3:19am

Plugging is a permanent sealing of the well.  Basically filling it up with cement to some depth.

It is possible that SWEPI could be plugging these wells to allow them to write the well off for accounting purposes.  I believe it is possible to drill out a plugged well at some time in the future and perhaps that is what SWEPI or some else may do at a later time when the infrastructure is fleshed out.

Phil 

Permalink Reply by Trapper on December 8, 2013 at 4:09am

Doesn't it seem odd that a Utica or Marcellus well would be plugged here? I haven't heard of a dry hole yet into these strata in this neck of the woods. I have heard mention of TBR wells being plugged as a result of being dry holes up in the NE part of PA though. Just seems very , very odd to me to see Marcellus and Utica wells being plugged. Does an operator have to prove a well unproductive before the state permits it to be plugged? Would there be publicly accessible documentation to provide proof of this? From a landowner's perspective , I would hope the state would require some form of proof of nonproductivity before allowing the permanent sealing of a well  which eliminates the income potential from said well(s) for all involved.

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on December 8, 2013 at 4:23am

Trapper,

They drill through cement all the time in the normal drilling of a well.  I'm pretty sure that plugging can be undone.  It may be required to "abandon" the well and therefore write it off.  It is the end of the year???

I had heard from locals up that way who ran into Shell people at quarter horse events that the wells up there were good.  Of course just hearsay.

Phil

Permalink Reply by Trapper on December 8, 2013 at 4:53am

May be just a book keeping trick......I find it hard to believe the wells here aren't productive to some degree. I was just thinking justification should have to be made and this may result in a paper trail accessible for public scrutiny.

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on December 8, 2013 at 2:12am

Oliver Perry

Thanks for the well plats.  That is some detail!  Of course, I agree with your "decoding".

Phil

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on December 8, 2013 at 4:49am

Just got the Drake plugging notices.

Maybe this is an accounting end of the year thing?

Phil