Oklahoma Operator Stakes Remote Wildcat in Uinta Basin
Wasatch County, Utah
As their first foray into Utah, Oklahoma-based Green River Operating (GRO) is planning to permit a wildcat in an unexplored township roughly 12 miles northwest of Cedar Rim Field in Wasatch County. Located on the western edge of the Uinta Basin, the operator is holding details confidential regarding the Coleman #1-29-29, sw-ne 29-2s-9w, but the prospect will likely reach total depth near 10,000’ and test the Green River and Wasatch formations. GRO is still waiting for approval from the state of Utah for this venture. An APD for the well was first submitted by Texas-based Soli Deo Gloria Petroleum (Soli Deo) in July 2013, but according to the state the permit was returned unapproved because of missing information or late filed documents.
The nearest exploration to GRO’s proposed venture is roughly 2.5 miles to the northwest at Sinclair Oil and Gas’s Bert L Coleman #1, ne-se 13-2s-10w. Drilled in 1953, this attempt bottomed at a total depth of 10,000’ in the Tertiary Currant Creek. A drillstem test in the Tertiary between 6,274’ and 6,344’ recovered 10’ of mud; a second test of the interval at 9,935’–10,000’ yielded 6,800’ of fresh water. The failure was plugged and abandoned in 1953.
Amoco Production’s MA Smith Oil Investment #1, nw-sw 16-3s-9w, is approximately 3 miles south of GRO’s Coleman #1-29-29. After accessing the Wasatch at a depth of 13,300’, a DST run in an unknown formation at 3,100’–3,199’ reversed out 2,784’ of water. Prior to being plugged and abandoned in 1981, log tops for this dry hole reported the Green River at 5,450’ and the Wasatch at 9,960’, measured from a Kelly bushing elevation of 7,297’.
Some 5.5 miles southeast of GRO’s pending prospect is Skelly Oil’s Albert Smith #1, se-ne 32-2s-8w. Drilled in 1967, this duster bottomed in the Wasatch at 9,963’. One drillstem test performed in the Green River interval at 8,163’–8,263’ recovered 7,500’ of gas and slightly oil-cut mud. Three additional DSTs conducted in the Green River between 8,971’ and 9,051’ were declared mis-runs, and the well was abandoned later the same year.
The closest production to GRO’s proposed staking is at Houston-based Linn Operating’s (Linn) CC Fee #7R-28-38, sw-ne 28-3s-8w, Duchesne County. This Green River test, which was originally drilled by Berry Petroleum (Berry) of Denver, tapped the Wasatch at a total depth of 11,500’. Linn took over the venture after a merger with Berry in June 2014. Initial production for the well was reported as 24 bo, 3 cfg, and 429 bw from four sets of perforations in the Flagstaff formation between 9,902’ and 11,078’. Total production for the wildcat was reported as 5 k bo, 83 mcfg, and 32.9 k bw. The CC Fee #7R-28-38 has been shut-in since June 2015.
The nearest significant production to GRO’s pending Coleman #1-29-29 is more than 12 miles to the southeast in Cedar Rim Field, which is a naturally fractured stratigraphic trap. Discovered in 1965, production for this pool originates from both the Green River and Wasatch; output exceeded 3.9 mmbo, 10 mmcfg, and 8.7 mmbw as of August 2013.
Wasatch County has seen the drill bit 29 times in the past, all without success. The most recent exploration in this county occurred in 1990. Located roughly 6 miles south of GRO’s proposed Coleman #1-29-29, Petroleum Inc.’s Wildlife Resources #1-29-C9, sw-se 29-3s-9w, bottomed in the Green River at a total depth of 5,050’ and was abandoned shortly after drilling. Of eight DSTs conducted prior to plugging, only two recovered oil. A swab test of the Green River zone at 3,826’–3,836’ yielded 13 bo, while 35 bo was recovered from a second swab test run in the same formation between 2,595’ and 2,612’.