HeLIX Exploration PLC (AIM:HEX) has contracted a rig to deepen the Clink-1 well, which has observed helium and hydrogen gas shows in the Amsden, Charles, and Flathead formations.
Clink-1, at the Ingomar project in Montana, was earlier this month suspended at a depth of 8,030 feet in the Flathead formation amidst elevated gas readings.
The company has now hired Precision Drilling’s Rig 704 to deepen and test the full thickness of the Cambrian and any potential fractured basement play in the Pre-Cambrian basement.
Any decision to further deepen the well will then be informed by the well conditions, Helix added.
Mobilisation of Rig 704 will start in the week commencing 30 September, with the re-entry anticipated in the first two weeks of October. The well programme is then expected to take another two weeks.
After that, it is anticipated that a flow testing phase will be undertaken.
"We are delighted to welcome Precision Drilling and make use of the 704 rig to re-enter our Clink #1 borehole,” Helix chief executive Bo Sears said in a statement.
“Clink #1 shows excellent prospectivity for helium with gas shows on all our target horizons and, in addition, hydrogen gas shows in the Flathead sandstone formation.
“We look forward to keeping the market informed as we re-enter and test the well."