UK Oil & Gas PLC (LON:UKOG) told investors that the new horizontal well at the Horse Hill project is now complete.
The well has accessed exposure to 2,500 feet in the conventional Portland oil reservoir. It has now been suspended as a future oil production well, starting with an extended well testing programme.
It is expected that the production test will begin in early December.
READ: Alba looks forward to HH-2 production tests in early December
"Horse Hill's first optimally placed horizontal is now poised to enter its next key phase, the eagerly anticipated flow testing campaign,” said Stephen Sanderson, UKOG chief executive.
“We remain confident that the 2,500 ft of permeable Portland sweet-spot reservoir section, 70 times that seen in HH-1, can deliver significant rates. We look forward to safe and successful EWT operations over the coming months," he added.
Horse Hill’s first well has been temporarily shut-in, to enable safe ‘rig-down’ operations.
Prior to this pause in production, the HH-1 well had produced some 78,844 barrels of oil in aggregate, with 49,276 barrels coming from the deeper Kimmeridge oil zone.
UKOG is the largest stakeholder in the Horse Hill project, owning an 85.635% interest in the project through both direct project interests as well as shareholdings in the Horse Hill Development Limited (HHDL) vehicle which in turn has a 65% stake in the project.