The well was shut in for 12 hours after the treatment but still only revealed a poor flow rate with the pressure gradually decreasing until the flow finally stopped, possibly indicating a lack of naturally occurring small scale fractures in the field that are needed to deliver the gas to the frac zone.

“Frac programs generally take a long time to clean out and so far we have only retrieved about 10% of the 3000 barrels of diesel and proppant that we put into the well, so naturally this would be inhibiting the flow rate. However, the slow recovery does seem to indicate a general lack of pressure in the zone,” said Amity managing director Howard McLaughlin.

“We will continue with the fourth frac to determine the extent of the problem, whether it is localised or not, before finalising plans for the fifth and final zone.”

Whicher Range-5 was originally suspended as a potential gas producer at the start of the year in preparation for a planned fracturing program designed for five sandstone sequences starting from the bottom zone and progressing individually to the uppermost zone.

McLaughlin added that the company was now focussed on developing its US assets along with its core interests in Turkey.