Operational Update, Canada

RNS Number : 0376W

Solo Oil Plc

24 January 2012

 



For Immediate Release

24 January 2012

SOLO OIL PLC

("Solo" or the "Company")

Operational Update, Canada

Solo Oil plc today announces an update on activities in South Western Ontario, Canada operated by its Joint Venture partner Reef Resources Limited ("Reef"). 

Reef's announcement, to the Toronto exchange, reads:

January 24, 2012 - Calgary, Alberta - Reef Resources Ltd. ("Reef" or the "Company") reports that significant progress has been made on a number of field activities associated with the ongoing development of the Ausable Field Gas Recycling and Enhanced Oil Recovery ("EOR") project.

The recently spudded North Airport #1 exploration well, being drilled using a cable drilling rig, is currently drilling ahead towards intermediate casing below a surface casing which was set at 51 metres.  The well is expected to reach intermediate casing point by mid-February and to reach TD at 608 metres by early March.

The venturi pump has been successfully installed in the Ausable #5 well as planned and is being commissioned.  The commissioning and flow rate stabilisation phase is expected to take a further 10 to 14 days after which an update will be given.  Ausable #1 well continues to produce at rates up to 30 bopd, however, production rates have been choked back until the gas injection phase of the EOR is underway. 

In field flow-line construction to the Ausable #2 well is underway to allow that well to be connected to the venturi pump system.  An additional pump skid is being constructed and is due to be delivered in February after which all four existing wells (A#1, 2, 4 and 5) will be hooked up to the central processing facility.  Well #3 will continue to be used for gas re-injection in the short term prior to a recompletion program which is planned to isolate the shallowest interval Ausable #1.  This will allow gas re-injection in to the optimum zone at the highest point and geological centre of the Ausable reef.

Road and creek bores for the pipeline to tie-in the South Airport #1 well started on the January 23 and the remaining trenching and welding will take three to four weeks to complete.  The South Airport well will provide additional liquids rich equity natural gas to the EOR scheme at low cost.  It is also hoped that additional gas will come from North Airport reef and in addition Union Gas will complete the meter reversal in February so that Ausable can receive utility gas to supplement the available gas supply from the Ausable and Airport reefs.

Arnie Hansen, Reef President commented: "We have been making very substantial progress so far this year, however, January and February are typically the worst weather months and although current forecasts are moderate some delays may occur.  We look forward to making a further update in the coming weeks."

Additionally, Reef has received an in place oil redetermination report from Nutech Energy Alliance of Texas, USA.  Using the available five wells, detailed petrophysical analysis and correlation with the 3D seismic data, Nutech have calculated a STOIIP of 8.9 mmbbls.  This represents a 10% increase over previous estimated made prior to the drilling of the Ausable #5 well.  The report recommends that a more detailed assessment of the reserve potential should be undertaken.

Neil Ritson, Solo Executive Director, commented; 

"Appreciable progress has been made with the project so far this year including the increase in the oil-in-place resources providing further support for our investment case.  The final reserves will depend on the details of the gas cycling scheme, however, based on analogous fields in Nortern Alberta, such as the Golden Spike Field, recovery factors in excess of 70%, and potentially as high as 90%, may be expected."

Competent Person's Statement:

The information contained in this announcement has been reviewed and approved by Neil Ritson, Chief Executive Officer and Director for Solo Oil Plc who has 35 years of relevant experience in the oil industry.  Mr. Ritson is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, an Active Member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London.

For further information:

Solo Oil plc David Lenigas Neil Ritson	[phone]
Beaumont Cornish Limited Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker Roland Cornish	[phone]
Shore Capital Joint Broker Pascal Keane Jerry Keen (Corporate Broker) Pelham Bell Pottinger                             Public Relations Mark Antelme  Henry Lerwill	[phone] [phone]

Glossary:

bopd                            - barrels of oil per day

mmbbls                       - million barrels of oil

STOIIP                          - stock tank oil initially in place

 

END

 

 

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