1 An Oligocene Frio discovery completed by United Oil & Minerals Inc. , Austin, in Brooks County, Texas, gave up an initial flow of 10.226 million cu. ft. of gas, 398 bbl. of condensate and 11 bbl. of water per day. IHS Energy Group says the #1 Cage Ranch was tested on a 20/64-in. choke through perforations between 9,952-10,089 ft. The discovery is in Leonardo Vargas Survey, A-603. 2 The Dan A. Hughes Co. #1 Mansker "A" is a Bee County, Texas, exploratory well that initially flowed 3.471 million cu. ft. of gas, 84 bbl. of condensate and nine bbl. of water per day. The Beeville, Texas, independent drilled the well in George Kerr Survey, A-209, in the area of Burnell South and Tulsita fields. Hughes perforated between 11,112-11,280 ft. in Eocene Wilcox. Testing was carried out using a 10/64-in. choke. 3 Esenjay Exploration Inc. , Houston, reports the #3 Runnells, a discovery in the deep Frio Trend in Matagorda County, Texas, was production tested at a daily flow rate of 22 million cu. ft. of gas and 494 bbl. of condensate on a 21/64-in. choke. The well, in Nicholas Clopper Survey, A-16, was drilled to test deep, geopressured Frio Sands. Due to encountering higher-than-anticipated reservoir pressures, the company elected to stop drilling at 14,505 ft., short of the well's original target depth of 15,000 ft. This leaves prospective pay still untested below 14,505 ft. A total of 168 ft. of net pay was logged in four Frio pay intervals. The production test was from 31 ft. of perforations in Lower Claughton (below 14,000 ft.), which is the deepest of the four pay intervals penetrated. Additional drilling is planned. Esenjay, owner of a 34% working interest, is the operator. Esenjay's partners in the discovery are Samedan Oil Corp. , a wholly owned subsidiary of Houston-based Noble Affiliates , with a 24% working interest, and Santos USA Corp. , a wholly owned subsidiary of Sidney, Australia-based Santos Ltd. , with a 30% working interest. The remaining interest is owned by private parties, including JLC Enterprises Inc. , Trijon Exploration Inc. and Brazos Resources Inc. 4 Ivanhoe Energy , Bakersfield, Calif., has signed a purchase agreement acquiring rights to enter the Jurassic Bossier Sand exploration play in East Texas. The company has agreed to purchase oil, gas and mineral rights to approximately 10,000 acres in the Bossier trend for approximately $4.5 million. Ivanhoe also will acquire an additional 2,500 acres that have been committed under the agreement. The new acreage is on trend with a recent discovery that is being developed. The Bossier sands typically lie between 13,000 ft. to 14,000 ft. below the surface. Ivanhoe notes operators in the area have experienced average reserve sizes of about 3 billion cu. ft. of gas per well and initial production rates of approximately 3 million cu. ft. of gas per day. To date, no significant water has been encountered in the system. The company believes that it currently has up to 50 potential well locations that could be drilled during the next several years. Drilling and completion costs are currently less than $2 million per well. Ivanhoe plans to commence drilling operations in the second quarter of this year. The company currently holds a 100% working interest in the acreage, subject to leasehold burdens and a 9.375% net profits interest. 5 Louisiana's Cameron Parish is the site of the Ballard Exploration Co. #1 Texaco Fee "A," a Planulina discovery completed flowing 7.345 million cu. ft. of gas and 290 bbl. of condensate per day. According to IHS Energy Group, the Houston operator's well was tested on an 18/64-in. choke through perforations at 11,639-78 ft. It's in Section 11-14s-11w. 6 Two discoveries were recently completed in state waters offshore Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish. Houston independent 3Tec Energy Corp. gauged a flow of 8.374 million cu. ft. of gas, 984 bbl. of condensate and 57 bbl. of water per day at the #1 State Lease 14217 on Breton Sound Block 34. The well, which is producing through perforations at 18,288-18,310 ft., was tested on a 21/64-in. choke. On Main Pass Block 11, LLOG Exploration Co. , Metairie, La., tested a flow of 2.31 million cu. ft. of gas per day on a 9/64-in. choke at its #1 State Lease 16730. The discovery is producing from Cibicides carstensi, perforated at 8,746-84 ft. 7 Kent Bayou Field in Terrebonne Parish, La., gained a new producer with the completion of the Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. -operated #1 CL&F 28 flowing more than 10 million cu. ft. of gas and 400 bbl. of condensate per day, according to partner Krescent Energy Co. The well, which was drilled to a total depth of 13,275 ft., is in Section 27-17s-13e. Both Cabot and Krescent are headquartered in Houston. 8 Pogo Producing Co. , Houston, reports the #1 OCS-G-21738, a discovery operated by Houston-based Walter Oil & Gas Corp. in 932 ft. of water on Ewing Bank Block 871, flowed at a calculated rate of 4,300 bbl. of oil and 2.9 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The well was tested in the deeper of two pay zones that totaled about 134 net ft. of pay. Pogo owns 50% of blocks 871 and 872, Walter owns 40% and Continental Land & Fur Co. Inc. has the remaining 10%. In the Main Pass area, Pogo drilled to a total depth of 7,276 ft. and encountered 96 ft. of net oil pay below 7,000 ft. at its #1 OCS-G-16493, in 92 ft. of water on Block 61. Pogo spud a confirmation attempt that will test the same reservoir about 0.75-mile west on Block 62 and about 150 ft. downdip from the discovery. Pogo says the newly discovered reservoir could be as large as 800 acres. The company owns 100% of blocks 61 and 62. 9 Two discoveries made by The Houston Exploration Co., Houston, in the Gulf of Mexico have been tested, according to the company. On South Timbalier Block 317, the #1 OCS-G-15349 flowed 1,584 bbl. of oil and 900,000 cu. ft. of gas per day on an 18/64-in. choke. The discovery, perforated at 5,896-6,040 ft., will require installation of a new eight- to 10-well platform in 457 ft. of water. Houston Exploration is the operator and has a 55% working interest. The company's second discovery to yield production is the #3 OCS-G-18938, drilled to 10,368 ft. to test the shallow prospect on High Island Block 115. Approximately 26 ft. of net gas pay was encountered at 9,739 ft. The well gave up a flow of 6.243 million cu. ft. of gas and 82 bbl. of condensate per day at completion. Houston Exploration, owner of a 78% working interest in the well, says it will test a deep prospect on Block 115 this year. 10 Partners Conoco Inc. , the operator, and Ocean Energy Inc. , Houston, say their Magnolia confirmation test on Garden Banks Block 783 was drilled to a total depth of 17,435 ft. and encountered more than 400 net ft. of oil-bearing sands, with 300 net ft. in one continuous unit. Following logging operations, the #2 OCS-G-11573 was sidetracked 3,000 ft. to the southwest, finding 400 net ft. of oil-bearing sand. Conoco holds a 75% working interest in a two-block unit (blocks 783 and 784), while Ocean Energy has the remaining 25%, 11 Drilling is under way at the #1 OCS-G-19028, a wildcat operated by Burlington Offshore in 3,200 ft. of water on East Breaks Block 599. IHS Energy Group reports the venture is the first drilling on the block, which is about three miles north of the Boomvang Field area and about 10 miles west-northwest of Nansen Field. 12 Miller Exploration Co. , Houston, is casing one wildcat and drilling another in Mississippi's Lawrence County. The company reports it's setting pipe on bottom at 17,072 ft. at the #1 Miller-Lee on the Arm Dome in Section 4-6n-20w. Lower Cretaceous Sligo and Hosston are to be tested. On the Grange Dome, Miller says it's drilling below 6,500 ft. at the #1 Miller-Sills in Section 29-9n-20w. The project is to go to 17,500 ft. to test Hosston. Miller has some 46% working interest in the ventures. Other interest owners include Key Production Co. Inc. , New Orleans, with approximately 25% and Eagle Investments with approximately 16%. Miller reports drilling has been completed at another prospect in Mississippi in which it has an interest-the Key Production #1 Thoth, which reached its new objective depth of 17,667 ft. The prospect is on the Kola Dome in Section 28-8n-15w, Covington County. To date, pay has been logged in Lower Cretaceous Rodessa, Sligo and Upper Hosston. Logging operations are under way for the deepened portion of the well, which was originally permitted to 16,500 ft. Approximate working interests in the test include Miller with 17%; Key Production, the operator, 35%; Remington Oil & Gas Corp. , Dallas, 16%; and Eagle Investments , 12%. 13 Location for an 18,500-ft. wildcat has been staked by Spooner Petroleum Co. , Jackson, in Jasper County, Miss., reports IHS Energy Group. The new venture is the #1 Bankston in Section 13-10n-13w. The drillsite is about two miles southwest of a 16,458-ft. Jurassic Cotton Valley well in Mossville Field.