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From January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2004,
we participated in the drilling and completion of 13 wells (4.5
net) in 17 attempts in this area. We incurred capital expenditures
of $7.0 million and drilled six wells (2.4 net) in the Southeast
Texas area in 2004 and expect to devote approximately $4.8 million
and drill five wells (1.7 net) in this area in 2005. The Liberty
Project Area and Cedar Point Project Area have proven to be successful
for us, and we expect that the Liberty Project Area will constitute
a significant portion of our drilling program for 2005.
Liberty
We have identified and leased prospects ranging
from the Frio to the Cook Mountain formations within the 500 square
miles of 3-D seismic data in the Liberty Project Area which now
covers significant areas of Liberty and Hardin Counties, Texas.
Since January 1, 2001, we have been successful on nine of 12 wells
drilled. In 2002, we completed one well that produced an average
of 9,787 Mcfe per day during the first 90 full days of production.
We operate this well and own a 40% working interest. In 2003, we
had another drilling success in this area with a well producing
an average of 13,030 Mcfe per day during the first 90 full days
of production. We operate this well and own a 46.3% working interest.
SOUTH LOUISIANA AREA
The South Louisiana area primarily contains
objectives in the Middle and Lower Miocene intervals. We have acquired
licenses for approximately 1,887 square miles of 3-D data and approximately
4,752 net acres of leasehold. The 3-D seismic data sets are concentrated
in one general area including St. Mary, Terrebonne and LaFourche
Parishes.
Currently, we have identified over nine exploratory
drilling locations with an additional ten potential extension locations
in the South Louisiana area over which we have licenses for 3-D
seismic data. Four of the nine exploratory locations we have identified
are relatively lower risk and generally shallower with the other
five being relatively higher risk and deeper with greater upside
potential. From January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2004, we drilled
and completed nine wells (2.5 net) on 14 attempts in this area.
We incurred capital expenditures of $8.9 million and drilled four
wells (1.7 net) in the South Louisiana area in 2004 and expect to
devote approximately $17.8 million to drill ten wells (6.0 net)
in this area in 2005.
LaRose
During 2002, we successfully drilled and completed
an offset well to the discovery well in this area. We operate the
two wells and own a 40% working interest. The discovery well produced
at an average of 15,581 Mcfe per day during the first 90 full days
of production. We plan to participate in one additional well (0.2
net) in the general area during 2005.
BARNETT SHALE TREND
We began active participation in the Barnett
Shale play in the Fort Worth Basin on acreage located west of the
city of Fort Worth, Texas in mid-2003. In 2003, we acquired leases
on approximately 4,100 net acres and invested $0.9 million to drill
six wells (2.6 net), two of which were completed and producing and
four of which were awaiting pipeline hookup at year end. Net production
from the two online wells (0.6 net) was a combined 380 Mcfe per
day at year end in 2003.
In February 2004 we purchased specified wells
and leases in the Barnett Shale trend in Denton County, Texas from
a private company for $8.2 million. These non-operated properties
have an average 39 percent working interest. The acquisition included
21 existing gross wells (6.7 net) and interests in approximately
1,500 net acres, which we expect to provide another 31 gross drill
sites.
During 2004, we drilled 33 additional wells
(13.7 net) and acquired an additional 26,617 net acres, increasing
our acreage at the end of 2004 to 30,717 net acres (primarily in
Tarrant, Parker, Denton, Johnson, Hill and Erath counties). 17 out
of those gross wells were on-line producing at year-end and the
remaining 16 wells are awaiting completion and pipeline hookup.
28 of the drilled wells in 2004 were non-operated, with relatively
low working interests. In the second half of 2004, we initiated
our operated drilling program and we anticipate the majority of
our activity going forward will focus on company operated acreage.
We are continuing to expand our leasehold acquisition
in this trend. Production at the end of 2004 and at March 1, 2005
was approximately 2,800 Mcfe/d and 3,500 Mcfe/d, respectively. Net
proved reserves have grown from 1.6 Bcfe in December 31, 2003 to
31.7 Bcfe at December 31, 2004.
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