COPENHAGEN, DENMARK--(Marketwire - Jun 6, 2012) - MicroSeismic, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. (Cuadrilla) for microseismic mapping and monitoring of their hydraulic fracturing operations in the western Bowland Shale Basin in the United Kingdom. This area has a remarkable amount of shale gas; estimated gas in place is up to 200 trillion cubic feet. The contract includes detailed mapping of hydraulic fracture growth and seismicity monitoring of the Becconsall well in Lancashire, UK and has the capacity to monitor multiple potential wells for optimized field development.
Commenting on the solution, Peter Duncan, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of MicroSeismic, Inc., stated, "Although we think of ourselves as sitting on a passive surface, we are actually on a surface of continual, but undetectable natural seismicity. The earth is in a constant and natural state of shifting. We are pleased to be working with Cuadrilla to assist them with microseismic mapping of their operations, as well as detecting the potential instance of small, less than 0.5 ML events."
MicroSeismic has nearly 2,000 square kilometers of its permanently installed BuriedArray™ service operating in various sites in the United States and Canada. This new contract makes MicroSeismic the first company to have a near surface monitoring system installed in Europe. The contract was awarded based on MicroSeismic's unique ability to provide long-term monitoring around the Becconsall well to both analyze fracture geometry during the fracturing job and provide on-going information to prevent surface detectible induced seismicity. In North America and other areas the BuriedArray™ service has proven to be successful in monitoring hundreds of wells over large geographical areas with a single installation. Full-field monitoring allows operators to track variability over time. As a result, completion parameters and field development plans can be modified to ensure optimum production over the life of the field.
"We look forward to working with MicroSeismic. Their experience and technology will allow us to properly monitor the seismic activity and bring economic growth to Lancashire," said Mark Miller, CEO of Cuadrilla Resources, Ltd. "Our work will bring a clean and local energy source to the area, offer employment opportunities with well-paying jobs while having a low surface impact."
According to the Induced Seismicity Mitigation Report created for the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), this area is historically known for coal mining related induced seismicity at magnitudes of ~3.0 ML, but has caused no material impact. Cuadrilla has hired MicroSeismic to provide real-time monitoring of subsurface seismic activity during fracing operations which are at levels not detectable at the surface.
Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. is a private British upstream oil and gas company based in Lichfield, United Kingdom, with the strategy of proving the economic viability of unconventional hydrocarbon development and production across a number of European basins through a drilling program supported by specialized equipment owned and operated by the company.
MicroSeismic, Inc. is an oilfield services company providing real-time monitoring and mapping of hydraulic fracture operations in unconventional oil and gas plays. Founded in 2003, MicroSeismic is the pioneer in monitoring microseismic activity utilizing surface and near-surface arrays. The company helps oil and gas companies understand how the reservoir responds to stimulation and its impact on customer economics.
For more information visit: www.microseismic.com
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Media Contact:
Indy Chakrabarti
ichakrabarti@microseismic.com