1 Shell Exploration Inc., Houston, has scheduled as many as five deepwater wells on its DeSoto Canyon 268 Block in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. According to a plan of exploration filed with the U.S. Minerals Management Service, the company may drill the wells from different locations on the northeastern quadrant of the block. Water depths range from 7,393 to 7,468 ft. in the area, which Shell acquired with a bid of $1.12 million in the December 2001 eastern Gulf lease sale. The nearest drilling was more than 2.5 miles east of Shell's first location, where the company drilled the #1 (BP) OCS-G-23502 on Block 260 and temporarily abandoned it. The nearest recoveries are in Aconcagua Field in Mississippi Canyon Block 305 and in King's Peak Field in DeSoto Canyon Block 133, some 10 miles west and northwest, respectively. Aconcagua has produced 125.49 billion cu. ft. of gas, 159,670 bbl. of condensate and 184,671 bbl. of water from Pliocene since the field came online in September 2002. King's Peak has recovered 68.59 billion cu. ft. of gas, 84,670 bbl. of condensate and 93,992 bbl. of water since it came onstream at the same time, according to IHS Energy. 2 Anadarko Petroleum Corp., The Woodlands, Texas, will drill a wildcat in about 8,750 ft. of water at its Jubilee West prospect in the southern part of Atwater Valley Block 305. The company's #1 OCS-G-18556 is more than a half-mile north of Anadarko's #2 OCS-G-18577 that was suspended in 2004 after drilling to 17,800 ft. A half-mile south of that is the #1 OCS-G-18577, the discovery well for Jubilee West Field. That well bottomed at 18,310 ft. and found 83 ft. of net pay. The exploration plan allows the company to drill up to 10 wells on blocks 305 and 349. The field holds an estimate 40- to 50 million bbl. of oil equivalent. The company also is looking a Jubilee East Field on adjacent Lloyd Ridge blocks 265 and 309. Neither Atwater Valley nor Lloyd Ridge has any production, to date. 3 Southeastern Choctaw County, Ala., will host a wildcat drilled by Cederhill Operating Co. LLC, Tuscaloosa, Ala. The 3,200-ft. #1 Quina-Avalon 29-2 is less than two miles north of the Washington County line. Cedarhill plans to drill to Eutaw in Section 29-9n-2w in the well, which is a south offset to the abandoned #1 Cullom Springs in the same section. That well went to 1,345 ft. The nearest producer is 5.5 miles north on the western shore of Coffeeville Lake, where the #1 Alco Land & Timer Co. well in Section 28-10n-2w flowed 449 bbl. of oil from Smackover perforations between 12,406-18 ft. The nearest Eutaw producer is about 10 miles north-northwest of the Cedarhill well, where the #1 Eula A. Jones recovered 19,293 bbl. of oil and 7,429 bbl. of water from 1965 to 1988. 4 Mayne & Mertz Inc., Houston, has permitted a 6,700-ft exploratory test in southern Escambia County, Ala. The #1 Powell 4-4 is in Section 4-1n-8e, about four miles north of Flomaton. The nearest producer is in the same section about a half-mile south. That well, the #2 Atic Fee, flowed 3.95 million cu. ft. of gas and 240 bbl. of condensate a day in initial testing. It has produced a total of 12.32 billion cu. ft. of gas, 701,846 bbl. of condensate and 2,173 bbl. of water in Flomaton Field from Norphlet perforations between 15,444-72 ft. Production from a comparable depth comes from Foshee and Foshee West fields about a mile north of the new well location. 5 Prairie du Chien is the target for a 9,750-ft. wildcat scheduled a mile south of Hersey in southwestern Osceola County, Mich., by Denver-based operator Cimarex Energy Co. The Cimarex #1-30 Oehrli, in Section 30-17n-9w, Hersey Township, is 1.5 miles northwest of a recent Prairie du Chien discovery in northwestern Mecosta County. There, the #1-6 Haist flowed 1.5 million cu. ft. of gas from lower Prairie du Chien between 9,400-18 ft. with 2,100 psi of flowing tubing pressure. That discovery was a workover of a dry hole plugged and abandoned in 1987 after yielding gas shows on drillstem tests, according to IHS Energy. 6 Fortuna Energy Inc., a unit of Talisman Energy, Calgary, has scheduled the #1 Bauer wildcat to 13,373 ft. in Steuben County, N.Y., as part of its aggressive campaign to look for Trenton-Black River gas in the northeastern United States. The well will be in Section F, Big Flats Quad, Corning Township, approximately four miles northeast of South Corning, N.Y. The nearest production comes from an unnamed field about 1.3 miles north of the wildcat. 7 The Trenton-Black River play in New York has attracted East Resources Inc., Warrendale, Pa., for an 11,700-ft. exploratory test slightly more than two miles southwest of Southport in southwestern Chemung County. The #1 Messing, in Section F, Southport Township, Seeley Creek Quad, is about 2.4 miles northeast of East Resources' Seeley Creek Field opener, completed in February 2004. That field produces from Trenton-Black River. The company also drilled the #1 Harvey about 1.25 miles west of the new well. East Resources has not released details on the wells. 8 Vista Resources Inc., Pittsburgh, plans two Medina wildcats in Greenville East Quad in Mercer County, Pa. The company's #3 J. Cline is scheduled to 5,305 ft. in Section F, Salem Township, approximately 1.3 miles south of Sheakleyville Field, a Medina producer, and 5.3 miles west of Sheakleyville. The #1 K. Kocina is projected to 5,290 ft. in Section F, Sandy Creek Township, less 0.75-mile north of Hadley Field, which produces from Medina, and 3.8 miles southwest of Sheakleyville. 9 Pennsylvania's Clearfield County will host a wildcat drilled by Enervest Operating LLC, Clarksburg, W.Va., The company's #27 Chase is scheduled to Devonian at 5,000 ft. in Glen Richey Quad, Knox Township, according to IHS Energy. That location is about 7.2 miles southeast of the town of Curwensville and 1.4 miles southeast of Lumber City Field, which produces from Upper Devonian. 10 Atlas Resources Inc., Moon Township, Pa., continues its aggressive Pennsylvania drilling campaign. In Fayette County, Pa., the company plans five wildcat wells, all projected to 5,000 ft. in different townships, and all looking for natural gas. The #4 Wright will test Devonian in Section F, Masontown Quad, Nicholson Township, 2.3 miles northeast of Greensboro. The #6 Canestrale/USX, will look at Speechley in Section G, California Quad, Luzerne Township, about 2.2 miles east of Fredericktown-Millsboro. The #3 Chellini, also aimed at Speechley, is in Section B, Masontown Quad, German Township. The #2 Skufca will evaluate Big Injun in Section C, Fayette City Quad, Perry Township. 11 Atlas Resources has staked the #1 Kemerer wildcat in Section B, Masontown Quad, Cumberland Township, in a test of Fifth Sand. The proposed well is 1.1 miles nrothwest of Mason Town Field and 1.6 miles southwest of Nemacolin in Greene County, Pa. 12 Boone County, W.Va., is the site of a pair of Devonian wildcats planned. by Dominion Exploration & Production Inc., Houston. The company's 5,910-ft. #14059 Sheppard Heirs will be in Crook District, Pilot Quad, some 1.3 miles northwest of an unnamed field that produces from Big Lime and 7.4 miles northeast of Oceana. The 6,220-ft. #14060 Sheppard Heirs is in the same district and quad and 1.1 miles north of the unnamed Big Lime field and 7.5 miles northeast of Oceana. 13 P5 Petroleum Inc., Katy, Texas, has permitted the #2 James David Miller wildcat in Hardin County, Ky. The 1,499-ft. New Albany Shale test will look for natural gas in Howe Valley Quad. The site is 11.6 miles southwest of Elizabethtown, Ky. The closest production is 4.2 miles away from Corniferous, according to IHS Energy. 14 Bowling Green, Ky.-based Hydrocarbon Operating Co. plans three wildcats in a search for Waverly gas in Fount Quad, Knox County, Ky. The #EKD-VH2 Versia Hinkle is proposed to 2,485 ft. 1.2 miles north of an unnamed Waverly-producing field and 10.8 miles northeast of Barbourville. The #EKD-VH3 Versia Hinkle is 1.4 miles north of the unnamed field and 10.7 miles northeast of Barbourville. The #EKD-VH4 Versia Hinke is planned to 2,495 ft. at a location 1.6 miles north of the field and 10.7 miles northeast of the same town. 15 Two wildcats are in the planning stages for Major Crude Oil Co., Knoxville, Tenn. Both wells are projected to Knox at 2,500 ft in Parmleyville Quad in Wayne County, Ky. The #4 Don Richardson is 2.5 miles southwest of Mount Pisgah Field and 14.2 miles south of Monticello, while the #5 Don Richardson is two miles west of Mount Pisgah Field and 13.8 miles south of Monticello. 16 NGas Resources, Lexington, Ky., will continue its aggressive wildcat campaign in Bell County, Ky., with the #16 Begley Properties-Orr Trust well. The well is projected to Devonian at 4,900 ft. The well will be sited in Balkan Quad about 1.3 miles from Stoney Fork Field, which produces from Big Lime. It also is 7.5 miles northwest of Wallins Creek. 17 Knox Energy LLC, Bluefield, Va., will look for Knox gas production at a wildcat in Section 16-2s-61e, Norma Quad in Scott County, Tenn. The 5,000-ft. #BR-1026 Domestic Fund 7 is 1.1 miles southwest of an unnamed Monteagle field and 4.4 miles south of Huntsville, Tenn.