Otto on Friday said the well was flowing gas at rates of up to 3.6 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) from the interval 265-370m.

Optimum sustainable production is expected to be between 2.5MMcfd and 3MMcfd, it said.

Bati Umur-1 was suspended by the joint venture in December 2005 after encountering zones of potential gas pay identified on wireline logs. But the well was not flow tested due to severe winter conditions at the time of completion.

Testing of Bati Umur-1 follows the successful completion of Koyustu-1 as a potential gas producer with flowed gas at rates up to 2MMcfd of gas from one of three intervals totalling about 17.5m.

Otto said the rig would now be moved to the Umur-1 location.

The company said Umur-1 was drilled in 1986 and may have “bypassed” gas potential in the same sand interval successfully tested by Bati Umur-1. It is in the same structural closure and, if successfully re-entered and tested, could be used as another production well.

Interests in the Edirne Licence are Otto (65%) and Incremental (15%) and Turkish operators Merty Energy and Petrako, both with 10% each.

Incremental will pay $3 million to Otto towards exploration expenses to earn its 15% stake.