Expert: Likely little gas under southern Arkansas
By: Associated Press - Texarkana Gazette - Published: 09/11/2008
MAGNOLIA, Ark.—Energy production experts say there is little chance that southern Arkansas will enjoy a boom from the Haynesville Shale similar to the drilling rush in the central part of the state, where companies are tapping the Fayetteville Shale.
The Haynesville Shale, centered in northwest Louisiana, is estimated to hold 29 to 39 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, though the range of the formation is not fully known. The Fayetteville Shale formation holds an estimated 20 trillion cubic feet.
One problem with the portion of the Haynesville formation that may extend into Arkansas is that it may have thinned out there and also be mostly sand, making drilling untenable, said Ed Ratchford, senior petroleum geologist and supervisor for the Arkansas Geological Survey.
Ratchford said four well inspections indicated the area does not appear to hold promise, though the Arkansas portion has not been fully evaluated. The boundary of the formation is still being defined.
“It appears that it is shifting more from shale to sand as it comes up into Arkansas,” Ratchford told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. It’s also thinner. “Those two are sort of negatives as far as being able to produce gas.”
The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission said Wednesday that no permits for natural gas drilling in the Haynesville Shale have been issued in the state.
Louisiana-based oil and gas consultant Bill Pittman said he found no indication that the Haynesville Shale would produce gas in Arkansas. He noted the change in the geology in southern Arkansas and wrote in an e-mail to the newspaper: “That does not mean it won’t be productive, as only much drilling will define this play.”
Burt Williams, president and chief executive officer of drilling company Bonanza Creek, said Louisiana will be the focus for drilling.
“If we had shale (in south Arkansas) we’d be going for it and producing it, but we just don’t see any evidence of it,” Williams told the paper.
Likewise, Chesapeake Energy Corp. senior vice president of corporate development Tom Price said the company was open to drilling anywhere natural gas can be tapped. “However, we are not currently leasing for Haynesville Shale in Arkansas at this time.”