The company secured surface rights and rights to drill from the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA)

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Zephyr Energy secures final approvals for State 16-2 well at Paradox project. (Credit: Anita starzycka from Pixabay.)

UK-based oil and gas company Zephyr Energy has obtained all the final approvals for the spud of the ‘dual-use’ State 16-2 well at Paradox project in Utah, US.

The approvals include the surface rights and rights to drill from the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), federal Right of Way approvals from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Application to Drill (APD) approval from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM).

The company has secured all the required consents from its joint-venture partner on the Paradox project.

The project aims to assess and optimise analyses for more focused, efficient and less environmentally-impactful oil production strategies in the northern Paradox Basin, mainly in the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation’s Cane Creek shale and adjacent clastic zones.

The US Department of Energy and its National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE) are providing funds for the Paradox project.

Zephyr said that it working with a the project team led by the EGI in partnership with the UGS and other Utah-based partners.

Zephyr finalising project contracts

The company, which is currently preparing to spud the ‘dual-use’ State 16-2 well, is working to finalise project contracts to enable rig mobilisation in the coming days.

Zephyr CEO Colin Harrington said: “I am delighted that we have secured the final approvals and consents required to facilitate the commencement of drilling of the State 16-2 well.

“I would like to thank all parties involved in this process for their commitment, flexibility and hard work in enabling us to reach this major milestone within the required timeframe.

“With work on the ground already underway, we are in the final stages of operational preparations to ensure the safe and successful spud of the well by our year-end goal.”