The lower house of the French National Assembly voted in May to ban drilling for shale gas and drilling using hydraulic fracturing. The bill is likely to pass in the Senate, making France the only county to ban the exploration process. Such a ban may encourage other European countries to follow suit.

Meanwhile, Polish companies and the state government have launched aggressive campaigns in support of hydraulic fracturing in the country. The Polish energy minister said that the nuclear lobby and Gazprom are behind France's legislation and also suggested that the same groups are now seeking to force an EU-wide ban on the practice, with a view to protecting their revenues.

Poland would like to reduce its energy dependence on Russia, encourage in-country economic development and meet environmental agreements to reduce its use of coal for power plants. According to IHS Inc., Poland relies on coal for over 90% of its generation capacity and is planning nuclear plants, although the first plant won't be ready until at least 2021.

Polish energy policymakers have warned against any attempt by the EU to impose hydraulic-fracturing regulations, although the European Commission does not have jurisdiction over sovereign states' subsoil laws or resource-development programs.

-Larry Prado

1 Canada

According to Nickle's Petroleum Explorer, Trilogy Energy Corp. of Calgary completed a horizontal Duvernay shale well in the Alberta Kaybob area that is producing sweet, liquids-rich gas. The #3-13 was drilled to 4,866 meters with a 1,391-meter horizontal lateral. The venture was fracture stimulated in 31 perforated intervals in 12 separate stages and completed with plug-and-perf technology. The plugs were drilled out to permit the well to be evaluated without obstruction. The #3-13 flowed approximately 1,250 bbl. of oil equivalent per day (5.2 million cu. ft. of gas, an estimated 390 bbl. per day of natural gas liquids and 180 bbl. of 56-degree API condensate) and 1,450 bbl. per day of water. Trilogy, Celtic Exploration Ltd. and Yoho Resources each own a one-third working interest in 30 gross sections of land.

2 Canada

Nickle's Petroleum Explorer reported that Calgary-based DeeThree Exploration Ltd. completed a Bakken well in the Lethbridge area of Alberta. The completion was drilled to 2,960 meters, including a 1,300-meter horizontal section. After a seven-day cleanup, #04-D3EXP 2HZ 13 flowed 250 bbl. of oil per day and 25,000 cu. ft. a day of gas. Dee Three completed a 15-stage fracture stimulation using an oil-based fluid. No measurable amounts of water have been recovered and all current oil and natural gas samples are sweet. Additional completion information was not made available.

3 Canada

Emerge Oil & Gas Inc. of Calgary announced a Viking light oil completion well in the Coronation area in Alberta. The #14-36-38-10W4 produced at a sustained rate of 120 bbl. of oil equivalent per day over 30 days, comprised of 70% light, sweet, 35-degree API oil and 30% gas. The well was an 800-meter horizontal and was completed with 16-stage fracture stimulation. Emerge has two follow-up locations and plans to drill a total of five wells in this area in 2011.

4 Colombia

Petroamerica Oil Corp. confirmed that the Petrobras-operated #2-Balay ST1 appraisal well in Colombia flowed 2,620 bbl. of 26-degree API oil from two perforated intervals in the Upper Mirador. Additionally, 145 bbl. of 13-degree API oil and water were recovered from the Barco. No hydrocarbons were recovered from tests carried out in the Une and Gacheta reservoirs. Petroamerica holds a 15% participating interest in the Balay block. Petrobras is the operator with a 45% participating interest with partners Cepsa (30%) and Sorgenia (10%).

5 Bolivia

A southeastern Bolivia exploration well drilled on the Aquio Block in Santa Cruz Province confirms a gas field discovery, according to Total. The #1001X-AQI was drilled to appraise the 2004 Incahuasi gas-field discovery by Total in its adjacent Ipati license area to the south. Total and partners Tecpetrol and Gazprom estimate that the discovery will double the current output from the two blocks and may reach an output of 636 million cu. ft. per day. The #1001X- AQI was drilled to 20,670 ft.; additional completion information was not made available. Total is the operator of both the Aquio and Ipati blocks and the discovery well with 60% interest in partnership with Tecpetrol, holding 20% and last year's farm-in with Gazprom, with the remaining 20%. Total's headquarters are in Paris.

6 Argentina

According to Oil and Gas International, Repsol-YPF has made a large find of unconventional shale oil in Argentina at its Vaca Muerta discovery in the Loma de la Lata Block, Neuquen Province. According to the company, the Late Jurassic Vaca Muerta shale formation covers an area of 330 sq. kilometers and contains more than 150 million bbl. of oil equivalent in potential reserves. A pilot development by the Madrid-based company is in a 25-sq.-kilometer area and will begin delineating an additional 200 sq. kilometers of the area with 17 new wells. The company also plans to fracture-stimulate 14 existing wells. Repsol-YPF discovered 4.5 trillion cu. ft. of unconventional shale gas in the same area of Loma de la Lata in 2010.

7 Brazil

According to Rio de Janeiro-based Petrobras, the company discovered a 241-meter oil column in the Campos Basin in the pre-salt Albacora Field. The preliminary volume estimates at #6-AB-119D-RJS indicate approximately 350 million bbl. of good quality light oil. The well was drilled to 4,835 meters in a water depth of 380 meters. In the 241-meter oil column, about 104 meters of pay are from Macabu carbonate reservoirs and the porosity is approximately 10%.

8 Italy

Rome-based Eni is drilling two parallel production wells—#2D Guendalina and #3 Guendalina—in Guendalina Field in Adriatic Sea Block A.C35.AG. According to Oil and Gas International, Eni and partner Mediterranean Oil & Gas will use a skid drilling technique. The planned total depth of #2D Guendalina is 3,290 meters, 3,225 meters true vertical, and the planned total depth of #3 Guendalina is 3,190 meters. The Pliocene gas sand levels are expected to be encountered from a depth of about 3,000 meters. Guendalina Field's water depth is 42 meters. Eni is the operator of Block A.C35.AG and Guendalina Field with 80% interest in partnership with Mediterranean, which holds the remaining 20%.

9 Poland

In Poland's Baltic Basin, Saponis Investments of Warsaw has drilled its second gas shale well, #1S-Lebork, on Slupsk Concession. The well was drilled to 3,517 meters and 223 meters of whole core were recovered. After logging the well, 113 sidewall cores were taken, and the Ordovician shale interval is approximately 91 meters thick. During drilling, numerous gas shows were recorded over 285 meters of the Lower Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian shales. According to Oil & Gas International, the gas shows consisted mainly of methane, and the strongest shows were in the Cambrian shale, though gas shows in the other intervals may have been diminished due to whole coring of the other intervals. Saponis is the operator of #1-S Lebork, and the company is owned by BNK Petroleum (26%), 20%-each partnersLNG Energy, Rohol-Aufsuchungs and Sorgenia E&P, with the remaining interest held by the local investors.

10 Ghana

In offshore Ghana's deepwater Tano-Cape Three Points Block,Hess Corp. of Houston reported a discovery at its #1-Paradise exploration well. According to the company, the well penetrated hydrocarbon pay in two separate intervals and wireline logs show 370 ft. of net pay. The #1 Paradise was drilled to 6,038 ft. and the company is drilling an additional 1,100 ft. to test another stratigraphic interval at approximately 16,400 ft. Operator Hess is carrying 100% of the cost of the Paradise well with 90% interest, in partnership with Ghana National Petroleum Corp., which holds the remaining 10%.

11 Papua New Guinea

Horizon Oil Ltd. of Perth discovered gas at its #4-Stanley well in PRL 4, onshore Papua New Guinea. According to E&P Daily, the well was drilled to 10,959 ft. and found the primary Toro sandstone to be gas-filled with 115 ft. of net pay and the secondary objective, Kimu sandstone, containing 33 ft. of net gas pay. The #4-Stanley was drilled from the same surface location as a previous completion, #2-Stanley. Horizon Oil is the operator of PRL4 and the #2-Stanley, with 50% interest, in partnership with Talisman Niugini, a subsidiary of Talisman Energy, which holds the remaining 50%.

12 New Zealand

Vancouver-based TAG Oil Ltd.'s #4-Sidewinder exploration well in New Zealand's PEP38748 has been confirmed as a light-oil and gas discovery. Results indicate that the targeted oil-and-gas-charged Mt. Messenger sandstones extend significantly to the east of the #1-Sidewinder discovery well and Sidewinder now exceeds 196 ft. thickness, with no water column evident in any of the Sidewinder wells. The #4-Sidewinder was sidetracked to a location down-dip of #3-Sidewinder and targeted a fault-bounded 3-D anomaly that intercepted a gross 95-ft. sandstone reservoir. The #4-Sidewinder was drilled to 4,626 ft. with 62 ft. of net oil-and-gas-charged sandstones. TAG is preparing flow-test operations on the #2- #3- and #4- Sidewinder wells. All wells will be placed onto production through the Sidewinder production station that is set for operation in 2011.