Orchard Petroleum and Nuenco have announced that their Jack Hamar 1-13 in California has intersected multiple gas-bearing reservoir zones that will all warrant further testing.

“We are pleased with the results of our second well in which we saw elevated gas levels and hydrocarbon shows not seen in Jack Hamar 1-1,” said Nuenco managing director Anthony Kain from California.

“We look forward to developing our understanding of this potential in a multi-well campaign targeting the shallow gas play that may extend across a large portion of our acreage position in South East Lost Hills.The development of such a play would attach real value to the significant acreage position Nuenco has built up in the Lost Hills area.”

However, the depth of the Jack Hamar 1-13 well was reduced due to gas influx and technical issues affecting drilling operations, so it is uncertain how that particular well will be developed or whether it will become a producer.

Interests in Jack Hamar 1-13 are Orchard Petroleum 37.5%, Nuenco 37.5% and Nahabedian Exploration Group (operator) 25%.

Meanwhile in Texas, First Australian Resources (FAR), a junior partner in the Vaquero-1 well at Welder Ranch, reports that operator Dune Energy has made a significant natural gas discovery, encountering significant stacked zones totalling more than 100 feet of gross pay at various depth intervals between 9,000 and 14,000 feet in the Middle Wilcox formation.

In order to fully and efficiently develop the numerous pay horizons present, Dune intends to drill several offsetting wells. Testing of the highly geopressured well will begin immediately, to be followed by actual production and sale of natural gas.

Duen claimed that its geological and geophysical team had also identified several other “very large, high quality, high reserve” potential prospects and leads on the Welder Ranch acreage, which could equal or exceed the success of Vaquero-1.

Under the terms of the agreement FAR will pay 11.25% of the drilling and completion

cost of the first well, Vaquero-1, to earn a 9% working interest in all wells drilled within the area of mutual interest, according to FAR executive Michael Evans.

“This is the style of project that we have been specifically targeting in our business model, namely multiple objectives defined by 3D seismic close to infrastructure in one of the best energy markets for natural gas,” Evans said.

“Subject to further evaluation of results and successful testing we hope to be selling gas at Welder Ranch very soon.”