Natural gas results looking good for Hants County

By Jennifer Hoegg

The Hants Journal/NovaNewsNow.com

Calgary’s Triangle Petroleum is getting promising results from a natural gas test site in Kennetcook, Hants County. The company announced March 6 that a small quantity of gas was flared at one of two test wells.

Triangle has two wells in the area to assess the potential for natural gas in the Windsor Basin shale gas project.

The company plans to drill six to eight test wells this year to assess whether the gas deposit could be developed commercially.

Additional exploration efforts include seismic analysis of the area. Company documents show exploration interest in 516, 000 acres of Hants County and predict that current natural gas pipelines will be expanded by 2010.

Triangle president Mark Gustafson said in an e-mail interview that the company has spent approximately $15 million on the exploration project so far. Local employees have been hired through contracted land consultants, site construction, drilling and completion companies. Triangle plans to assess commercial possibilities at the site throughout 2008. “We are hoping to commence a six to eight-well exploratory program this summer with a joint venture partner -- or two -- in order to assess the commercial viability of these potential wells.”

Triangle vice-president engineering and COO Howard Anderson said in the initial announcement that “we are very encouraged by the presence of free gas flowing from the Horton Bluff shale reservoir. We are now reviewing our Windsor Basin strategy, confidentially, with a select group of potential partner companies who can bring shale gas knowledge and/or financial capability to play.”

Triangle is a gas exploration company testing shale gas deposits in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Arkansas.