Mesa Energy Using Conventional Vertical Drilling for Two Marcellus Gas Wells in Western NY

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It seems hardly a day doesn’t go by that Marcellus Drilling News doesn’t observe a new press release, interview or other mention of Mesa Energy and their recent drive into gas drilling in Western New York State. The latest is a clever move by Mesa—they’re converting two of 19 gas wells they own in the Java Field from Medina sandstone to Marcellus Shale wells.

For about 30 years, the 3,235-acre site called Java Field has been home to 19 natural-gas wells, all of them sunk into Medina sandstone. Mesa Energy Holdings recently took ownership of the site, and it has submitted applications to the state Department of Environmental Conservation to convert two of those wells into Marcellus Shale wells.

The DEC hasn’t issued the permits yet, but has posted a notice saying it intends to.

Because Mesa is proposing traditional wells, rather than a deep horizontal well that would use hydraulic fracturing, its project can move ahead.*

What remains to be seen is if the vertical well transformation will yield production levels profitable enough to make it worthwhile.

*Rochester City Newspaper (Mar 22) – Marcellus Shale’s northern promise