1st exploration shale gas well drilled in Poland’s Baltic Basin

Łebień LE1, the first exploration shale gas well evaluating the shales in the Baltic Basin of northern Poland, has reached total depth in record time, including coring operations of the target shales. Drilling on Łęgowo LE1, the second well in the area, began in late August and is proceeding on schedule.

The drilling program is operated by Lane Energy Poland, while Schlumberger is providing a range of services, including drilling, logging and cementing. M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, is providing drilling fluid services.

“This is the first time exploration wells have been drilled in the Baltic Basin of northern Poland specifically to evaluate the potential of shale gas production. Lane is delighted that the mix of locally provided and Schlumberger-managed services helped to deliver the first well under budget and under time,” said Kamlesh Parmar, Lane Energy Poland country manager.

Schlumberger assigned a local project manager to oversee the integration of all services on site.  “This is a landmark project in the development of shale gas in Europe,” said Chris Hopkins, vice president, Unconventional Resources, Schlumberger. “With ready access to the extensive shale gas expertise already gained by Schlumberger colleagues in North America, we were able to apply the knowledge and lessons learned in other plays to best affect results delivered here.”

Schlumberger will provide completion, stimulation and well-testing services during the production evaluation phase of the operations. The completion program has been submitted to the Polish Mining Authority, and completion operations are scheduled for October.