1 Ivanhoe Energy Inc., Bakersfield, provides an update on the Aera Energy LLC #1-22 NWLH that's being drilled in Section 22-25s-20e MD, Kern County, Calif. Aera, the operator, also of Bakersfield, has successfully sidetracked the wildcat and is drilling below 16,880 ft. toward a projected depth of 20,000 ft. Ivanhoe reports that increased pressure from the down-hole formation was encountered with small amounts of gas being burned through a flare stack. Drilling operations are to be continued above the Miocene Temblor main objective until the next casing point is reached. At that point, one-in.-thick specialty casing will be set and cemented before drilling into the Temblor formation is resumed. The original hole reached a depth of 18,400 ft. in the top of Temblor. However, geologic information indicated the bottom of the hole could be placed in a more structurally favorable location, leading to the sidetrack operation. Ivanhoe has a 42% working interest in this test and an approximate 38% average within its entire Lost Hills position. Ivanhoe and Aera have increased their shared acreage position from approximately 6,300 to 9,600 gross acres at Lost Hills. Other joint venture partners in the #1-22 NWLH include PYR Energy Corp. and Ceniarth Inc. 2 V.F. Neuhaus Properties Inc., McAllen, Texas, has completed the #33-2RR Tomera Ranch, Section 33-31n-52e, Gabbs Valley, Eureka County, Nev., pumping 260 bbl. of oil and 87 bbl. of water per day, according to the Nevada Oil Reporter. The well, in which Winn Exploration has an interest, is a stepout from Tomera Ranch Field. It's a redrill 50 ft. northwest of the #33-2R Tomera Ranch which was plugged and abandoned in August 2001. The new test was drilled to a total depth of 1,179 ft. in Tertiary rocks. Tested with air lift, the zone produced 684 bbl. of oil over a 29-hr. period. 3 A high-volume Pennsylvanian Weber completion-one that flowed at a calculated rate of 22.47 million cu. ft. of gas and 82 bbl. of condensate per day on a 21/64-in. choke-was the result of a Yellow Creek Field well being directionally redrilled by Anschutz Exploration Corp. from Summit County, Utah, to a bottomhole location in Uinta County, Wyo. IHS Energy Group notes the Denver firm's #14-33ST AL&L started in irregular Section 33-6n-8e, Summit County, and ended up in irregular Section 10-14n-121w, Uinta County. The producing interval, which is beneath Wyoming, is between 13,000-13,155 ft. 4 Two new horizontal Mississippian producers near Montana's Mustang Field in Richland County have been reported by the operator, Lyco Energy Corp, Dallas. The #34-2-H Bullwinkle-McMillen, Section 34-24n-57e, yielded 272 bbl. of oil and 27 bbl. of water, with 161,000 cu. ft. of gas, per day from 11,350-13,522 ft. About a mile southwest, Lyco's #3-4-H Bullwinkle-4J Ranch, s 3-23n-57e, pumped 276 bbl. of oil and 40 bbl. of water, with 123,000 cu. ft. of gas, per day from 10,943-13,593 ft. The wells are about a mile east and south, respectively, of the field. 5 CamWest Exploration LLC, Denver, gauged a flow of 4.1 million cu. ft. of gas and more than 100 bbl. of condensate per day from Ordovician Red River "C" and "D" at the #22-6 Beta Race-Federal, reviving Red River production in North Dakota's Ice Caves Field. Located in Section 6-144n-100w, Billings County, the well was tested in a 46-ft. section of the two zones, according to Calgary-based Energy Exploration Technologies (NXT), owner of a 22.6% working interest in the well. CamWest drilled the well to an approximate total depth of 13,800 ft. and tested it on a 16/64-in. choke. 6 Ordovician Gunton production, found at 11,112-18 ft., was added to Larson Field in Burke County, N.D., with the recompletion of the Jordan Exploration Co. LLC #10-21 Lawrence flowing 89 bbl. of oil and 13 bbl. of water per day. The well is in Section 21-162n-94w. The Traverse City, Mich., independent originally completed the field opener on its Myrtle Beach Prospect last summer flowing 550,000 cu. ft. of gas, 20 bbl. of condensate and a similar amount of water from Red River at approximately 11,200 ft. Red River was closed due to lacking a gas line. 7 A production string is being run at two Sublette County, Wyo., wildcats that were scheduled to test Cretaceous Lance and Mesaverde zones, according to IHS Energy Group. In Section 8-32n-111w, about 12 miles west of Lance/Mesaverde gas production in Mesa Unit Field, Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co. LP, Houston, drilled to approximately 13,200 ft. at the #41-8 Grindstone Butte. Meanwhile, AEC Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., Denver, drilled to about 11,354 ft. and is setting pipe below 11,260 ft. at the #14-20 Sagebrush in Section 20-27n-107w. The drillsite is about 10 miles south-southeast of gas production in Jonah Field. 8 Questar Exploration & Production Co. tested a flow of gas at the rate of 602,000 cu. ft. per day, with four bbl. of water daily, at the wildcat #8 Verne Valley in Section 33-19n-113w, Lincoln County, Wyo. The discovery, which is producing from a Cretaceous Frontier interval at 11,694-11,721 ft., is about two miles west of Verne Valley Field. 9 Lower Cretaceous Mowry was tapped for a flow of 364,000 cu. ft. of gas and 157 bbl. of condensate per day at a shallower-pool opener completed by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, in Wyoming's Henry Field. Cabot reentered a dry hole, the #12-33 Henry Unit in Section 33-14n-113w, Uinta County, and completed it producing through perforations between 13,080-13,246 ft. Previously, Henry Field's primary producing zone was Cretaceous Dakota. 10 Oxy USA Inc., Tulsa, is set to drill to a depth of 9,400 ft. to evaluate Pennsylvanian Morrow Sand at the #1 Wright-B in Section 13-22s-42w, Prowers County, Colo. IHS Energy Group notes the drillsite for the remote wildcat is about nine miles west of gas production from the Permian Chase group above 2,600 ft. in Bradshsaw Field, Hamilton County, Kan. 11 Two exploratory wells completed by Coastal Oil & Gas Corp. (now part of El Paso Corp.) have established a new Mesaverde gas pool in Colorado's Rio Blanco County. They are the #8005 Figure Four Ranch in Section 18-4s-98w and, three miles northwest, the #8001X Figure Four Ranch in Section 10-4s-99w. The former bottomed at 10,100 ft. and has pipe set at 10,070 ft., while the latter reached a depth of 9,515 ft. and has pipe set at 9,505 ft. Coastal has shut in both wells, with plans to produce them after a pipeline is constructed this summer. 12 Alaska's Kenai Peninsula is the site of a gas discovery-the #1 Grassim Oskolkoff-tested by Marathon Oil Co. flowing 11.2 million cu. ft. of gas per day from a 39-ft. interval at 9,822 ft. Marathon says the wildcat was drilled to a depth of 11,600 ft. and encountered several gas-bearing sands. Located on the 25,000-acre Ninilchik Prospect about 35 miles south of Kenai, Alaska, it was directionally drilled from Section 23-1n-13w, Seward Meridian, northwestward to a bottomhole in Section 15-1n-13w. The venture was set up to evaluate Miocene Tyonek. Marathon currently estimates 90 billion cu. ft. of gross proven recoverable reserves on the structure. Marathon notes it's the operator with a 60% working interest, while Unocal Alaska holds the remaining 40%. Three additional tests have been drilled on the structure and await testing. Additional drilling is planned to delineate the structure's upside potential. 13 Phillips Alaska Inc. has obtained a drilling permit for a North Slope wildcat located on the extreme southwestern flank of the Kuparuk River Unit. The new venture is to be drilled from a surface location in Section 28-9n-7e, Umiat Meridian, northwestward to a bottomhole location in Section 21-9n-7e. It's about four miles south of Tarn Field and five miles north of Meltwater North Field, according to IHS Energy Group.