DENVER, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gasco Energy,
Inc. (Amex: GSX - News) today provided an interim
oil and gas activities and operational update on its
Riverbend Project in Utah's Uinta Basin.
Drilling Activity
Gasco is currently drilling its tenth and eleventh
wells of the fiscal year. At the beginning of December,
the Company was at total depth and preparing to log
the Federal 22-30-10-18. This well will test the Mesaverde
and Blackhawk formations. In addition, Gasco continues
drilling operations on the Federal 43-30-9-19, a Wasatch,
Mesaverde and Blackhawk test in the Riverbend area.
The 43-30 is the first well in the second bundle under
the Joint Value Enhancement Agreement (JVEA). The
JVEA is an agreement among a subsidiary of Gasco and
a group of industry service providers that contemplates
the development of up to 50 wells in Gasco's Riverbend
Project located in Utah's Uinta Basin. The wells are
expected to be developed in 10-well bundles to be
approved by the parties on an ongoing basis. Pursuant
to the terms of the JVEA, Gasco is expected to fund
30% of the development costs of each well drilled,
a third party capital provider is expected to fund
25% of such costs and the service providers are expected
to provide the remainder of required costs in the
form of drilling and completion services, up to a
maximum of $13.5 million in services for a given bundle.
Gasco's interest in the production from each 10-well
bundle of wells, net of royalties, taxes and lease
operating expenses, is estimated to equal the proportion
of the total well costs that it funds
The Company recently entered into a contract for a
third Nabors drilling rig which is expected to spud
the Federal 31-21-9-19 (Gasco 75% minimum working
interest) during December 2004. The rig will be moving
from Wyoming where it was recently drilling on the
Pinedale Anticline. The Federal 31-21 is located in
Gasco's Riverbend Area and will test the Wasatch,
Mesaverde and the Blackhawk formations.
Completion Activity
At the end of November one well was undergoing completion
operations and is currently flowing back frac fluid.
Riverbend Gas Gathering System
During the month of November Gasco completed the installation
of compression on the Riverbend Area system. This
brings the total horsepower to 1180 and the capacity
to 11 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd). Gasco also
installed 300 horsepower of compression in the Wilkin
Ridge area, allowing for 3 MMcfd of capacity.
Production
Cumulative monthly production for November 2004 was
166.8 million cubic feet equivalent (MMcfe) gross,
or 41.5 MMcfe net. This is a 26.1% increase from October
cumulative gross production of 132.3 MMcfe and a 17.9%
increase from October net production of 35.2 MMcfe.
Production increases are attributed to adding new
wells, well workovers, and the completion of the Riverbend
gathering system expansion.
Management Comment
Commenting on the Riverbend Project, Gasco CEO and
President, Mark Erickson said: "We are pleased
to report incremental month-over-month production
increases. Our commitment to the Uinta Basin is evidenced
by our focus on driving down costs while improving
efficiencies and economies of scale. This month's
anticipated addition of a third rig should provide
further improvements in production rates and in drilling
time and cost reductions as we continue to get better
at exploiting our Uinta Basin leasehold. The additional
rig will drill for a higher working interest net to
Gasco as compared to the other two rigs currently
working for Gasco."
Institutional Investor Conference
Gasco Energy President and CEO, Mark Erickson will
present at the First Albany Capital Growth Conference
in New York on Wednesday, December 8, 2004. Slides
from Mr. Erickson's presentation will be available
at www.gascoenergy.com.
About Gasco Energy
Gasco Energy, Inc. is a Denver-based natural gas and
oil exploitation and development company that focuses
on natural-gas-rich prospects in the Rocky Mountain
area of the United States. The Company currently is
active in the Uinta Basin in Utah and controls acreage
in the Greater Green River Basin of Wyoming. To learn
more, visit www.gascoenergy.com.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements set forth in this press release
relate to management's future plans, objectives and
expectations. Such statements are forward-looking
within the meanings of Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other
than statements of historical facts included in this
press release, including, without limitation, statements
regarding the Company's future financial position,
potential resources, business strategy, budgets, projected
costs and plans and objectives of management for future
operations, are forward-looking statements. In addition,
forward-looking statements generally can be identified
by the use of forward-looking terminology such as
"may," "will," "expect,"
"intend," "project," "estimate,"
"anticipate," "believe," or "continue"
or the negative thereof or similar terminology. Although
any forward-looking statements contained in this press
release are to the knowledge or in the judgment of
the officers and directors of the Company, believed
to be reasonable, there can be no assurances that
any of these expectations will prove correct or that
any of the actions that are planned will be taken.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown
risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's
actual performance and financial results in future
periods to differ materially from any projection,
estimate or forecasted result. Some of the key factors
that may cause actual results to vary from those the
Company expects include inherent uncertainties in
interpreting engineering and reserve or production
data; operating hazards; delays or cancellations of
drilling operations because of weather and other natural
and economic forces; fluctuations in oil and natural
gas prices in response to changes in supply; competition
from other companies with greater resources; environmental
and other government regulations; defects in title
to properties; increases in the Company's cost of
borrowing or inability or unavailability of capital
resources to fund capital expenditures; and other
risks described under "Risk Factors" in
Item 8.01 of the Company's Current Report on Form
8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on October 14, 2004.