The well will also evaluate additional underlying Morrow C, D and E sands that are potentially gas bearing and productive based on the log analysis, but may have been damaged by water-based drilling fluids. These additional Morrow zones all produce locally and look attractive in the Ellis offset wells.

Other nearby wells have Morrow gas pay interpreted from the wireline logs, but were either not tested or failed to flow, interpreted to be a consequence of the poor drilling practices employed at the time.

Amity said the use of synthetic oil-based drilling mud and a superior well design should eliminate the risk of formation damage and maximise well productivity.

Additionally the company chose to drill new wells employing modern under balanced drilling technologies and well design rather than re-entering the old discovery wells.

Ellis-1 is targeting un-risked reserves of between two Bcf and 10 Bcf in the P90 to P10 range per well in the Morrow B only. The most likely estimate of the un-risked gas reserves are between three and five Bcf per well. Should additional pay be confirmed in the other Morrow targets then additional gas volumes would be attributable to this well.