Storm Cat Energy Corporation Provides Operations Update on Fayetteville Shale and Elk Valley Projects
December 19 2007 - 3:15PM
PR Newswire (US)
DENVER and CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Storm Cat Energy Corporation (Amex: SCU; TSX: SME) today provided
an operation update on its Fayetteville Shale and Elk Valley
projects. Fayetteville Shale Storm Cat has successfully drilled and
completed the three Company-operated horizontal wells budgeted in
2007 on the Company's 22,600 gross/ 17,500 net acre Fayetteville
Shale project located in the Arkoma Basin in Arkansas. The Company
placed its first completed well, the Kamalmaz 1-13H, on an extended
two week flow test. The initial production rate from the well was
1.75 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d). Over the two week
production test the Kamalmaz 1-13H well averaged greater than 1.2
Mmcf/d. The Company's other two wells, the Files 1-12H and the
Vaughn 1-18H, have shown similar characteristics to the Kamalmaz
well during initial cleanup operations and are presently shut-in
awaiting pipeline connection. As previously announced, Storm Cat
reached an agreement with Frontier Midstream LLC for the
construction of field gathering, compression and a transportation
lateral to the Ozark pipeline. Based on the positive results
observed in all three wells, Storm Cat and Frontier Midstream
mutually have agreed to immediately move forward with the
construction of the sales pipeline and gathering system. The
pipeline is expected to be completed and operational at the end of
March 2008. Elk Valley In the 78,000 gross and net acre Elk Valley
project located in Southeast British Columbia, Storm Cat currently
has nine wells on production, five of which were drilled and
completed in 2006. Dewatering efforts continue to progress on the
project. The five 2006 wells have now been on production a minimum
of 180 days, with the longest on production for 265 days. Water
rates from the wells have remained consistent, averaging 400 to 450
barrels of water per day. These water production rates have been
greater than rates observed in the project's prior history. Water
recovery is the key component towards gas production potential in a
coalbed natural gas project such as Elk Valley. Associated gas
production rates with the five 2006 wells are encouraging. The new
wells currently average 175 thousand cubic feet per day (mcf/d),
individually ranging from 125 to 375 mcf/d. These wells have also
produced higher production rates, ranging from 275 to 600 mcf/d.
Total daily gas production from the project ranges between 1.0
Mmcf/d and 1.3 Mmcf/d. Significant progress has been made on the
project during 2007. However, the Company believes that in order to
fully assess the gas production potential of the project, fluid
levels in the producing wellbores must be lowered from the top coal
seam to below the lower most coal seam. This will allow evaluation
of the productive potential (water & gas) of all completed coal
seams. This has not yet been accomplished. Storm Cat is making
operational changes towards this end, including installation of
larger downhole pumps, to expedite the dewatering process. Storm
Cat Chief Executive Officer, Joe Brooker, said, "The initial
results from our Fayetteville wells meet our economic model and
gives us encouragement for our Fayetteville project. Advancement of
our Fayetteville acreage is a critical aspect of our growth. Our
Fayetteville well results coupled with our Fayetteville pipeline
agreement should allow us to realize our goal of achieving cash
flow from this area by late first quarter 2008. Elk Valley
continues to show us its potential, and we are making strides
toward fully evaluating the prospectivity of the project." Storm
Cat President and Chief Operating Officer Keith Knapstad commented,
"I am extremely pleased with the operational success that we have
had thus far in both the Fayetteville and in Elk Valley. Our
Fayetteville wells have exhibited productive characteristics in
line with our expectations. In Elk Valley, we continue to be
optimistic by water and gas production rates and anticipate
continued advancement in our dewatering efforts." About Storm Cat
Energy Storm Cat Energy is an independent oil and gas company
focused, on the exploration, production and development of large
unconventional gas reserves from fractured shales, coal beds and
tight sand formations and, secondarily, from conventional
formations. The Company has producing properties in Wyoming's
Powder River Basin, and Arkansas' Arkoma Basin and exploration and
development acreage in Canada. The Company's shares trade on the
American Stock Exchange under the symbol "SCU" and in Canada on the
Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "SME." Forward-looking
Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking
statements", as defined in the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and within the meaning of Canadian
securities legislation, relating to proposed new wells, production
rate and reserves expectations, commodity prices and new sources of
cash flows, and infrastructure improvements affecting the Company's
operations. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not
historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by
the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends,"
"estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective,"
"prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or
conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should"
occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs,
estimates and opinions of Storm Cat's management on the date the
statements are made and they involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such
statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future
events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. Storm Cat undertakes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or
opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause
future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the
volatility of natural gas prices, the possibility that exploration
efforts will not yield economically recoverable quantities of gas,
accidents and other risks associated with gas exploration and
development operations, the risk that the Company will encounter
unanticipated geological factors, the Company's need for and
ability to obtain additional financing, the possibility that the
Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental
clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration and
development plans, and the other risk factors discussed in greater
detail in the Company's various filings on SEDAR
(http://www.sedar.com/) with Canadian securities regulators and its
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including
the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2006. NO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. DATASOURCE: Storm
Cat Energy Corporation CONTACT: William Kent, Director, Investor
Relations of Storm Cat Energy Corporation, +1-303-991-5070 Web
site: http://www.stormcatenergy.com/
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