Eni and Quicksilver discover oil in West Texas well

Italian energy firm Eni and its joint-venture (JV) partner Quicksilver Resources have encountered oil at the Stallings 1H well in West Texas, US.

The well was completed in a 2,900ft horizontal section in the Third Bone Spring interval at a vertical depth of 7,400ft in the Delaware Basin.

The well is currently producing on a restricted choke at a rate of 750boepd, of which 90% is oil.

Production at Stallings 1H well is expected to start in September 2014.

Eni partnered with Quicksilver to evaluate, explore and develop unconventional oil reservoirs in the southern portion of the basin.

The Delaware Basin is in Pecos County, West Texas, approximately 700km north-west of Houston.

Both firms are currently drilling the second exploration well, Mitchell 1H, located 4.5 miles north of Stallings 1H, targeting the similar reservoir.

The exploration agreement between Eni and Quicksilver covers an area of approximately 52,500 acres in the southern part of the Delaware Basin.

Quicksilver operates the lease and holds an equal working stake with Eni.

In the US, Eni owns stakes in 200 leases in the Gulf of Mexico and 530 leases in shale oil and gas plays onshore Texas.

The company currently produces more than 100,000boepd in the US and operates 75% of that output.