Independent Infill Drilling Analysis for Mature Assets

This service is best suited for operators with mature assets where production is declining or remaining inventory is uncertain, development teams deciding whether to reinvest in an existing asset or rationalize the portfolio, and PE-backed companies or investors who need a technically ranked inventory before committing the next round of capital.

Infill drilling studies are typically driven by one of three situations: a mature asset where production is declining and the operator wants to know what remains, an existing program where well performance is inconsistent and the cause is unclear, or a capital allocation decision where leadership needs a ranked inventory to prioritize the next phase of activity.

Unlike field development planning, which tends to focus on broader program design and multi-well pad development, infill drilling is a more targeted exercise. It requires creativity. The wells that remain are often the harder ones: tighter spacing, more complex targeting, bypassed intervals that were missed the first time through. Getting them right requires a detailed look at what the existing wells actually encountered versus what was predicted.

Infill drilling studies start with the existing well inventory, logs, completions, production history, and targeting, and work outward from there. The goal is to evaluate what the existing well placement, reservoir interpretation, and available performance data suggest about where additional technical review may be warranted.

The core work typically includes:

• Existing well review: detailed analysis of current well targeting, landing quality, and lateral placement relative to the reservoir
• Production analysis: evaluating performance variability across the existing well inventory to identify underperformers and understand why
• Spacing analysis: assessing current well spacing against reservoir continuity and drainage patterns to identify infill opportunities
• Offset operator review: incorporating nearby non-operated wells to calibrate spacing assumptions and identify best practices or missed opportunities
• Bypassed pay identification: locating intervals or areas not adequately drained by existing wells, including one-off opportunities that fall outside the main development pattern
• Drilling hazard review: detailed assessment of known and inferred hazards that affect infill targeting, particularly important in mature fields where subsurface understanding has evolved since the original development
• Well inventory ranking: prioritizing identified locations by expected performance, risk, and capital efficiency

The result is a ranked inventory the operator can take directly into capital planning, with each location supported by the technical rationale that justifies it. Not all identified locations carry equal geological confidence. The ranking distinguishes technically supported inventory from locations that remain contingent on interpretation or additional data.

A completed infill drilling study typically includes:

• Ranked infill well inventory with supporting technical rationale per location
• Maps showing existing well drainage, spacing, and identified infill opportunities
• Bypassed pay analysis where applicable
• Hazard assessment for identified infill targets
• Summary report suitable for internal capital review or investor presentation

Scope and deliverables are defined in the Statement of Work before work begins.

BSS provides geological analysis and technical inventory ranking. Drainage estimates, production forecasts, completion design, and economic ranking require input from the appropriate reservoir engineering and commercial disciplines.

Infill drilling studies build on reservoir characterization, the better the subsurface model, the more defensible the inventory. For operators who need both, Bauer Subsurface Solutions can move from characterization through infill study in a single integrated engagement, building the reservoir framework and then using it directly to identify and rank remaining locations.

Where the infill study identifies a location worth drilling, well planning and geosteering support are available to carry that location from inventory through execution.

Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk infill analysis in South Texas, Cotton Valley and Haynesville work in East Texas and the Ark-La-Tex. Experience includes mature asset reviews where existing well density was high and remaining opportunities required detailed analysis to identify, as well as earlier-stage programs where spacing optimization was the primary question.

Infill drilling studies are billed hourly or on a project basis depending on scope. Estimated effort and deliverables are defined upfront in a proposal and Statement of Work. Work is performed remotely from Houston.

All data received during the engagement is treated as confidential. NDA available on request.