Following Mack’s participation in Sundance’s first two US wells – the OL Hill and the Price, both in the Ashland prospect, Oklahoma – Sundance decided to swap acreage with Mack to expand the footprint of its Ashland Prospect into a contiguous section.

The third well in Sundance’s Ashland Prospect drilling program – the Tucker A 26-4 well – was spudded on Sunday and is drilling ahead towards target depth of 1800m.

Like the other wells, its focus will be on gas sands and tight, fractured, gas-saturated shales. The primary target formations are the Caney and Woodford Shales and it is expected the Tucker Well will take 15 days to reach its target depth.

Following the acreage swap, Sundance’s interest in the Tucker well is about 48%, while Mack’s is roughly 26%. The operator Deka Exploration holds about 10% and TH McElvain holds about 7%, with the balance held by other US entities and individuals, said Sundance managing director Jayme McCoy.

“We are excited to be working more closely with Mack on the Tucker,” McCoy said.

“This relationship helps to spread the risk of our learning curve in this prospect, while providing for a simultaneous, essentially cost-free expansion of the boundaries of the play. We feel certain that similar opportunities for cooperative deals with Mack will present themselves. ”

Meanwhile, Sundance’s initial well in this prospect, the OL Hill A 23-12, which reached target depth a month ago, has been successfully fracced in the Woodford Shale formation.

The well is currently flowing back the frac fluid, which is anticipated to take about four weeks, after which the well will be completed for production.

The operator has also now run and cemented casing in the second well, the Price A 22-7-10, which reached target depth on July 11. Sundance anticipates the operator will soon perforate the casing in preparation for frac stimulation of this well’s Woodford Shale formation.