JKX Begins Hydraulic Fracturing Operations in Ukraine

UK exploration company JKX announced that the multi-stage hydraulic fracturing operations on well R-103 has commenced in its Rudenkovskoye licence in Ukraine, reads a note released on Tuesday, adding that it could be “the largest onshore frac in Europe to date.”

“Well R-103 was drilled to a total depth of 4,641 metres into the Rudenkovskoye Devonian sandstone reservoir with a horizontal section of just over 1,000 metres at a true vertical depth of 3,650 metres,” reads the note.

The company disclosed that the operation is expected to take around 40 days to complete, with initial flow expected in mid-August, while clean-up should last no more than four weeks.

“A considerable amount of planning and preparation has gone into this pioneering project. We remain confident that the application of this proven technique for tight gas reservoirs will allow us to develop commercially the very large gas in-place in the Rudenkovskoye field," said JKX's Chief Executive Paul Davies.

The R-103 well was worked over in the second half of 2012 with the removal of the existing slotted liner and its replacement by a cemented liner.

JKX is an exploration and production company listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company has licence interests in Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.