Acreage being marketed in Tuscaloosa Shale

Amelia Resources LLC said Tuesday it has been hired as a technical consultant to market 47,300 acres of mineral leases in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale.

The Woodlands, Texas, company did not release the name of its client.

In a news release, Amelia President Kirk Barrell said the acreage will provide “excellent frac results and economics.”

Frac refers to hydraulic fracturing, a process in which millions of gallons of water, mixed with sand and chemicals, are forced underground under high pressure to crack rock formations and release natural gas or oil.

“In addition, we like the fact that the Austin Chalk provides a secondary target across the position,” Barrell said.

Bids on the property will be due the first week in March.

Amelia notes on its website that various oil companies have acquired more than 2 million acres in leases in the region.

The website says the lease area it is marketing sits between acreage amassed by EnCana, 355,000 acres; Devon, 285,000 acres; Goodrich, 132,000 acres; Indigo, 200,000 acres; Halcon, 50,000-plus acres; and EOG, 200,000 acres, in southern Mississippi and the Florida Parishes of south Louisiana, specifically naming West Feliciana Parish and Wilkinson and Amite counties.

Previous reports have said several oil and gas companies have been drilling test wells in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale to determine the Trend’s potential production rates and develop the best techniques for drilling operations.

Amelia says on its website that the acreage being marketed contains nearly 200 potential drilling locations at 250-acre spacings and the potential for 70 million to 90 million barrels of oil at a 6 percent recovery rate.

Amelia Resources is an independent exploration and production company. The company has 23 years of experience across the Tuscaloosa Trend and has evaluated more than 800 wells in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale across Louisiana and Mississippi.