Parsley Energy to mark a decade of drilling Spraberry formation
Austin oil company Parsley Energy is about to mark 10 years of drilling the Spraberry formation of West Texas. Parsley is seeking permission from the Railroad Commission to drill nine horizontal wells targeting the Spraberry on six leases split between Upton and Martin counties.
Discovered in 1944, the Spraberry field became a popular target of drillers in the 1950s, but the tight formation proved to be challenging and frustrating. Parsley and other oil companies gave the formation another shot during the shale revolution, using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
The Austin oil company has received nearly 1,200 drilling permits for wells targeting the formation since Aug. 2009. Since then, the company’s Spraberry wells have produced more than 76.9 million barrels of oil and more than 233 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Permian Basin
Houston oil company Oasis Petroleum plans to drill 11 new horizontal wells on state-owned lands in West Texas. Nine wells in Loving County target the Phantom field of the Wolfcamp geological layer. Wells in neighboring Ward County target the War Wink field of the Cherry Canyon formation and the Quito East field of the Delaware formation.
Eagle Ford Shale
Arkansas exploration and production company Murphy Oil is preparing to drill 10 horizontal wells on its Kone lease in Dimmit County. Located about 8 miles southeast of Catarina, the wells target the Briscoe Ranch field of the Eagle Ford geological layer to a total depth of 8,000 feet.
Haynesville Shale
British oil giant BP is gearing up to drill four horizontal wells in East Texas. Split between a pair of leases in Nacogdoches and San Augustine counties, the natural gas wells target the Carthage field of the Haynesville geological layer to a total depth of 19,500 feet.
Barnett Shale
No horizontal drilling permits were filed in the Barnett Shale over the past week. Midland oil company Saguaro Petroleum plans to drill a vertical well on its Slemmons Helen lease in Palo Pinto County, targeting the Palo Pinto County Regular field to a depth of 4,000 feet.
Conventionals
Houston exploration and production company Quail Creek Oil Corp. plans to drill three vertical wells on a pair of leases in Southeast Texas. The wells in Liberty County target the Hull field to depths ranging from 3,200 to 4,300 feet.