A better comparison of our play is the East Texas "Deep Bossier". Mainland is comparing our play to this as far as depth and pressure. I see our play as being more productive though. The "Deep Bossier" wells are coming in at 15-23 million a day. i don't think they have the vertical "pay" distance we have. I think mainland will have multiple fractures in the 2500ft of shale. This is from a producer in the "Deep Bossier", Gastar (GST)
Deep Bossier Sands/Knowles Limestone - East Texas
The deep Bossier sands in East Texas is an unconventional play that has attracted some of the largest and most active operators in the U.S. The Bossier provides Gastar an avenue for continued significant near-term production and reserve growth.
Gastar has approximately 33,000 gross (15,350 net) acres in the Hilltop area of Leon and Robertson counties, about halfway between Dallas and Houston. The Company participated in its first well in the deep Bossier in 2001 with Anadarko Petroleum and has since successfully completed 16 out of 17 wells. It is continually improving the economics of the play by applying results of a 3-D seismic survey conducted in 2007 to better target well locations and through greater efficiencies in drilling, fracturing and completion over time.
The Bossier formation is a Jurassic-age series of sands deposited in an ancient deep-water environment in mini-basins or depositional lows and on the flanks of structures that existed at the time of deposition. These sands appear to lie beneath a large portion of Gastar's leasehold and have shown to be productive from depths of 16,500-19,500 feet. Bossier wells are characterized by high initial production, significant decline rates and long-lived reserves.
Gastar's most recent five Bossier completions have had an average initial production rate of 15 MMcf/day and average gross estimated ultimate recoverable (EUR) reserves of 8.3 Bcf. Its best deep Bossier wells to date are the Wildman Trust #3, which had initial production in January 2008 of 23 MMcf/day gross from two zones and EUR reserves of 11.4 Bcf gross, and the Donelson #3, which had initial production in June 2008 of 20 MMcf/day gross from one zone and EUR reserves of 17.8 Bcf gross.
Gastar has significantly reduced the cost to drill and complete middle Bossier wells by using a slim-hole casing design. Gastar successfully demonstrated this design with the Lone Oak Ranch #6 well in mid-2008, and it plans to use this completion method on all future middle Bossier wells to improve drilling efficiency and significantly improve well economics.
