Gastar Exploration Ltd
From Wikimarcellus
Houston, Texas-based Gastar Exploration Ltd. (AMEX: GST) is an oil and gas exploration company focused on North America. It was reported leasing land both for Marcellus shale and Trenton-Black River development.
Gastar owns drilling rights to roughly 36,000 net acres of land prospective for Marcellus shale in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. Most of its acreage is centered in the key over-pressured area of the Marcellus fairway. It owns an average working interest of 81.5%.
A March, 2009 report indicated the company had drilled ten shallow wells on their acreage to get some production going in order to hold the company's leases. Seven wells were in production and the remaining three were to be online by year-end 2009. Gastar had been looking for a joint development partner to help explore the deeper Marcellus shale formation on its acreage. According to a May, 2009 company update no further drilling was to be undertaken so long as natural gas prices remained depressed or unless and until a joint venture partner emerges.
By January, 2010 the company was reporting the success of its first vertical Marcellus shale well, the James Yoho #1, located in the Green District of Wetzel County, West Virginia. Tests on this well yielded the following initial results:
- 1.5 Mmcf/d of natural gas
- 120 BBL/d of condensate
- zero water production
- 1,000 psi of flowing tubing pressure
The well was to be shut-in pending set up of gas gathering and processing arrangements. Gastar owned 100% woring interest in the well or an 81.5% net revenue interest. The Marcellus shale is approximately 46 feet thick in this area, so the Yoho #1 well confirmed excellent results even in thinner portions of the formation using only vertical drilling. Gastar planed to use horizontal drilling in the future for even greater well productivity.
J. Russell Porter is Gastar's President and CEO.
