Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, (NYSE: TLM) has reported a successful test from the Utica shale in its Gentilly well in Quebec. Talisman chief executive John A. Manzoni says the Gentilly well is on the south side of the St. Lawrence River, about 100 kilometers south of Quebec City. Talisman holds a 75% interest in the well and is operator.

He says that the well, which is a re-entry to a previously drilled Trenton-Black River well, flowed at 800,000 cubic feet per day from one completed interval on a sustained basis during an 18-day test period. At the time of shut in, the well was still cleaning up and pressures and flow rates were constant.

“We are encouraged by the initial results of this vertical well,” Manzoni says. “We have additional testing to do on the well, including zones within the Basal Lorraine and Lorraine shale formation, but this is a very promising start to our unconventional program in Quebec.”

The Lorraine shale sits on top of the Utica and can be up to 6,500 feet thick. The Utica shale ranges between 300 and 1,000 feet. Manzoni says that early indications show that both the Lorraine and Utica rocks are thick, porous and appear brittle and over pressured, all of which are conducive to artificial fracture stimulation.

Talisman has an extensive land position with an option to earn 760,000 net acres through drilling in Quebec. The company is in the early stage of evaluating the rock properties and reservoirs. Talisman will test three to four pilot areas over the next 18 months, with up to four additional wells planned before the end of the year.

Talisman has operations in Canada and its subsidiaries operate in the U.K., Norway, Southeast Asia, North Africa and the U.S. JAS