Flow from Second UK Shale Well Very Encouraging: Cuadrilla
UK explorer Cuadrilla Resources October 29 said initial shale gas flow from its second horizontal well, PNR2, at its flagship site in Preston New Road (PNR) was “very encouraging”.
“Testing of the flow rate of natural gas from the PNR2 well commenced in mid-October 2019 and continues to date. But today the company confirmed that early flow test data was very encouraging, releasing details of the composition of gas samples taken from the PNR2 well. Further time will be required to complete the ongoing flow test, including analysing the results over a sustained period of gas flow,” it said.
According to the company, analyses of the samples show that the natural gas locked up in the Upper Bowland Shale deep beneath the PNR site is the highest quality yet encountered by Cuadrilla in its UK shale exploration activities.
Hydraulic fracturing of PNR2 well commenced in August 2019 and was subsequently suspended following an induced seismic event. Flow testing of natural gas from the PNR2 well commenced in mid-October 2019 and continues to date.
“Flow testing of this partially fractured shale well continues with very encouraging early flow results. Further testing and analysis will be required to validate sustained gas flow rates and this work is ongoing. There can be no doubt, however, that the UK is sitting on a huge natural gas resource of the highest quality,” CEO Francis Egan said.
In February, Cuadrilla announced results from flow-testing of the UK’s first-ever horizontal shale gas exploration well (PNR1z well) at its exploration site in Preston New Road, near Blackpool, which confirmed natural gas resource in the Bowland Shale, previously estimated at around 1,300 trillion ft3 of gas resource across the North of England by the British Geological Survey.