Glennallen, Alaska – Ahtna, Inc.  announced this week that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tolsona Oil & Gas Exploration LLC, successfully completed the drilling of gas exploration well Tolsona No. 1 on December 5, 2016. The drilling rig has since been released, and demobilization is scheduled to take place this coming week, Ahtna, Inc said.

The well, located just north of Milepost 175 of the Glenn Highway, and about 11.5 miles west of Glennallen, was spudded on September 28, 2016. Located just north of Milepost 175 on the Glenn Highway, the well proved to be very challenging due to the complex geology of the area, and consequently had to be drilled 700 feet deeper than anticipated, to reach the final vertical depth of about 5,500 feet. 

Even though the project was engineered to mitigate expected obstacles such as high pressure water zones, additional challenges were encountered along the way that ultimately delayed the project. But, expertise won out, and the drilling team was successful in isolating the potential gas zone from the high pressure water zone that was encountered above it.

Despite the challenges, the drilling phase was safely completed in 70 days, with zero Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incidents. 

Additional time was needed to complete drilling, and so, the operator, in cooperation with the rig owner, Schlumberger, agreed to permit an extension to the rig contract to allow additional time to complete the project.

The well testing phase at the Tolsona site is expected to begin in mid-December, and the area of interest encompasses a roughly 220-foot section between 5,000 and 5,220 feet. During testing, the well casing will be perforated, based on previously gathered logging information, to determine if gas is present. If the initial flow test proves positive, it will take about two months to analyze the data and gain a better understanding of the potential prospect and its production capacity, Michelle Anderson Ahtna, Inc.’s President revealed. 

“We have learned so much throughout this drilling program, and are thankful to have successfully reached our target, and completed this important phase. It would not have been possible without the relentless commitment of our drilling team, guidance from other owner/operators, and the support of the Ahtna Board and leadership,” said Michelle.

“We are very excited about the potential of this well, and the impact it could have on our region if the testing proves positive,” she added.  

Ahtna, Inc, an Interior Alaska Native Regional Corporation, is based out of Glennallen, and has approximately 1,945 shareholders, a majority of whom are of Ahtna Athabaskan descent, The corporation employs approximately 1,700 people around the globe.

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