Abstract
The Horn River Basin covers an estimated 3 million acres in a remote and difficult to access area of northern British Columbia. A number of Operators have experimental projects in the area, using various drilling and completion techniques, in order to evaluate the shale reservoir, gas in place, and productivity; moving towards commercial projects. The Devonian age shales of the Horn River Basin have been compared to the Barnett Shale of the Fort Worth Basin, in terms of reservoir quality, productivity and recovery factors.
This paper will review the following important aspects of the Horn River shale area:
History of the play;
General review of the Geology, reservoir properties, thickness, gas content, gas in place, permeability, etc.;
Emerging drilling and completions techniques, well construction, stimulation practices, fracture diagnostics, logistical problems;
Production tests, well initial productivities, and longer term production forecasts, estimated recovery factors;
Production and Operations challenges;
Development costs and economics;
Future development hurdles, what is needed to make this play commercial?
