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Shale gas: doing the job right

By Henk Duyverman

Cuadrilla Resources

Abstract

Shale gas is proceeding in Europe,albeit at a slower pace than in the US and Canada. Cuadrilla Resources had been exploring in UK , NL and Poland since 2008.

An update will be given of our European activities with as highlighs the 200 Tcf discovered in Lancashire, the political and environmental in NL, and the status of Cuadrilla in Poland.

Furthermore resource calculations, seismic studies and water studies will be addressed.

Sorgenia’s shale gas adventure in Poland

By Coen Leo

Sorgenia

Abstract

Sorgenia became active in the shale gas hunt in Poland in 2009 en was one of the first companies to explore shale gas potential in Europe, and more specific in Poland.

Sorgenia evaluated several areas in Poland and finally came to the conclusion that the Baltic Basin would have the highest potential for several reasons such as maturity, shale thickness, shale distribution, rock competence, TOC content and structural basin configuration.

Sorgenia farmed-in to Saponis, a company owning 3 licences in the Baltic Region, and managed by BNK.

Many wells have been drilled in Poland in the communist era as part of a country wide evaluation plan. Some wells were drilled for commercial reasons, but also many for stratigraphic reasons. Especially the latter was thru in the Baltic Basin, and many wells were drilled for stratigraphic graptolite analysis of the Silurian section. Thousands meter of core are available from wells as deep as 4000m.

On the contrary, seismic data was acquired mostly in conventional hydrocarbon areas, and the Saponis licence areas are void of seismic.

Saponis has drilled 3 vertical wells in 2010-2011, fracced one of the wells, acquired around 470 km of 2D seismic data, and carried out a grav/mag study of the basin.

The first exploration wells were drilled based on very sparse data and reservoir parameter distribution models. The wells confirmed the stratigraphy and the shale gas potential of Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian intervals, with the best potential concentrated in the Ordovician and upper section of the Cambrian.

The exploration programme focused on obtaining data for further analysis. A total of 340 m of whole core and in excess of 400 sidewall samples were collectively taken from the three wells. The samples have been analysed for all the many parameters relevant to shale gas characterization, including gas content and gas composition, porosity, permeability, saturation, mineralogy, geomechanics, petrography, maturity, TOC, etc. Wireline logging was carried out on all wells using the appropriate suite of logs for shale gas analysis. Logs and laboratory tests have then been combined to give petrophysical and geomechanical models, and to carry out volumetric calculations.

Based on the analysis of the data one well was selected for a vertical frac, which was carried out in the 4th Quarter last year. The frac demonstrated gas at surface, but failed to place enough proppant in the induced hydraulic fractures. New permitting was required to drill the next three wells in 2013, which gives Saponis the time to evaluate the best completion strategy to further the potential of the basin.

Promotion of shale gas is another important focus point of Saponis. Polish government and most local stakeholders are in favor of the hunt for gas. Saponis helps through information, education, openness and local support to stimulate acceptance of shale gas activities.

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