Norwest's Arrowsmith-2 Well Flows Promising Amount of Early Gas

Norwest Energy said Tuesday that flow-back and testing of primary shale target, the Carynginia Formation, has started in the onshore Arrowsmith-2 well, and early results are promising with a maximum gas rate of 350,000 standard cubic feet per day (scf/d) recorded on several occasions since the well started flow-back Feb.15.

In its statement, Norwest disclosed that the Carynginia Formation only had a limited period of flowback in the original 2012 hydraulic fracture stimulation program due to a tight operational timeline, and as a result there is still a significant percentage of the frac fluid remaining on the formation.

"Despite this, the Carynginia is demonstrating a strong early gas rate from this zone; a very encouraging sign," Norwest said in a statement.

The Carynginia Formation is considered a primary target in the well; it is the most typical "shale" formation in the basin, is demonstrated to be laterally extensive, and is approximately 820 feet (250 meters) thick in the vicinity of the well. The Kockatea Shale, classified as an oil producing zone, has been marked Norwest as a secondary target in the exploration program.

Arrowsmith-2 first flowed gas from the High Cliff Sandstone at a maximum rate of 777,000 scf/d in July last year. The well was temporarily shut-in in September when Norwest discovered oil being produced to surface in the early stages of flow back and testing of the Kockatea Shale, and again in December for pressure build up monitoring works, according to separate statements released by Norwest last year. Operations at the well were restarted in January this year.

Following testing of the Carynginia Formation, operations will continue with the testing of the Irwin River Coal Measure and High Cliff Sandstone intervals. In total, testing works in the three zones will take up to four months, Norwest revealed.

Norwest is the operator of Arrowsmith-2 with a 27.945 percent interest. The other shareholders are AWE and Bharat Petroleum, with shares of 44.252 percent and 27.803 percent respectively. 

Quintella has reported on the upstream and downstream oil and petrochemicals markets from 2004. Email Quintella at quintella.koh@rigzone.com.

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