BP completes successful well test in Mancos Shale, US

BP has completed the testing of a natural gas well in the Mancos Shale, which demonstrated that the New Mexico field could become a new source of natural gas supply in the US.

The average 30-day initial production rate at the NEBU 602 Com 1H well stood at 12.9 million cubic feet per day.

According to the company, the production rates achieved so far at the well in San Juan County are the highest in the past 14 years within the San Juan Basin.

BP US Lower 48 onshore business CEO Dave Lawler said: “We are delighted with the initial production rate of this well.”

“This result supports our strategic view that significant resource potential exists in the San Juan Basin, and gives us confidence to pursue additional development of the Mancos Shale, which we believe could become one of the leading shale plays in the US.”

Located within assets acquired by BP in 2015, the well was drilled with a 10,000ft lateral in the North-east Blanco Unit (NEBU), which comprises federal lands located in San Juan and Rio Arriba counties of New Mexico.

Through the acquisition from Devon Energy, the company expanded its existing position in the San Juan Basin, in addition to improving access to the Mancos Shale.

BP’s Lower 48 business unit has around 3,900 wells in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Colorado, producing natural gas from both conventional and unconventional rock formations.

The business has a resource base of about 7.5 billion barrels across six million net acres, along with an average net production of around 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

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Image: Following the well testing, New Mexico is poised to serve as a new source of natural gas. Photo: courtesy of BP.