IGas Spuds Its First UK Shale Well

UK onshore producer IGas said November 27 it has spud its first shale gas well.

The Tinker Lane (TL-1) exploration well in north Nottinghamshire in the English East Midlands is planned as a vertical multi-core well targeting a number of formations, chiefly the Bowland Shale formation.

IGas had already said that TL-1 will not involve hydraulic fracturing (or fracking). The company rescheduled the well from earlier this year until 4Q2018.

Another shale explorer, Cuadrilla, began fracking mid-October at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire and on November 2 it said it had produced a small amount of shale gas for the first time. It plans to fully test flow rates from the first two exploration wells towards end-2018 and into the New Year following completion of fracking, but has had to suspend fracking temporarily when micro-quakes of 0.5 magnitude or greater occur (the last such of that strength having being on October 29 when a 1.1 and 0.5 occurred). Rival shale explorer Ineos has yet to drill or frack and, like the other two companies earlier, has faced legal challenges.

All three operators are primarily targeting the Bowland Shale formation which extends across most of northern England and into the East Midlands.