Mendell Helium (AIM:MDH) has identified five prospective drilling locations at its Fort Dodge project in Kansas, following completion of seismic data interpretation, and has selected a preferred contractor to lead its 2026 drilling campaign.
The London-listed company said the sites, all targeting the Morrow sands formation that feeds its existing Rost 1-26 and Rost 2-26 wells, emerged from processing of 3D seismic data acquired in July.
Three of the five locations sit close enough to the Rost wells that they could share existing production facilities and the Brobee salt water disposal well, which the company said would cut development costs.
Rixford Resources, which previously co-funded the Rost 2-26 well and the Brobee disposal well expansion, has confirmed interest in co-funding a further five wells, potentially allowing Mendell to expand beyond its original four-well programme subject to definitive funding terms, land access and permits.
The core four-well campaign remains funded from the £5m placing and subscription Mendell completed in April at 4p per share, which was raised to accelerate Fort Dodge development.
The five new sites sit alongside Enlow, a location identified by Mendell's in-house geology team in March that already holds a drilling permit and is ready for operations.
Nick Tulloch, chief executive of Mendell Helium, said the geophysical evaluation had confirmed the company's assessment of the region and identified numerous new well locations, adding the company "may consider expanding our original four-well programme" subject to land access, permitting and Rixford's support.
At Rost 2-26, de-watering continues at around 1,000 barrels per day, and the company has designed a low-cost acid stimulation frack costing an estimated $50,000 to $80,000, though it will keep monitoring the well before committing to the work.
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Rost 1-26 previously took several months of de-watering to generate results, the company said, as it weighs the timeline for Rost 2-26.
At Schneweis Ventures 13A, the recompletion joint venture with Ritchie Exploration has flowed under its own pressure at up to 700 Mcf a day before slowing, and water pumping begins the week of 19 October using an on-site pump removing around 100 barrels a day.
Mendell and Ritchie will assess over coming weeks whether that pump is sufficient or whether a more powerful unit is needed, with Tulloch noting the well "has produced for almost a month without intervention" ahead of pumping starting this week.