Igas Spuds Second UK Shale Well

UK independent Igas has spudded its second exploration well in North Nottinghamshire, to prove up shale and tight gas reserves in the giant Bowland Basin, it said January 22. It said the vertical well was part of an integrated exploration and appraisal programme to better define the basin and is in the central basin area.

It spudded its first well in November, which it said would not be hydraulically fractured and should therefore be easier to drill from a regulatory standpoint. Cuadrilla has had to stop and start production frequently at the sites where it is fracking, in order to comply with the UK rules on seismicity. 

Partner and 14.5% shareholder Egdon Resources said it was "delighted that the Springs Road-1 well has now been spudded. This is a key well for Egdon as it will provide the first modern data on the shale and tight gas targets in the Gainsborough Trough – a core area for Egdon – where we have assembled a portfolio comprising 82,000 net acres with an estimated 20 trillion ft³ of net undiscovered gas initially in place."

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