Mandrake Resources Limited (ASX: MAN) has engaged Vanoco Consulting LLC to provide drill engineering and wellsite management support for its forthcoming re-entry and sampling programme across a number of historical oil and gas wells at the Utah Lithium Project.
Vanoco is a leading consulting firm based in Denver, Colorado which provides support to oil and gas operators in the United States and Canada. It specialises in providing engineering, project management and field supervision for the oil and gas industry and through its Canadian parent company, recently project managed a significant lithium brine sampling programme in Saskatchewan, Canada on behalf of a listed lithium company.
Vanoco’s wide range of expertise will enable the company to progress its field activities and re-enter and sample historical oil and gas wells recently made available through the Well Access Agreement executed by the company with local oil field owner Paradox Resources.
Vanoco has commenced the engineering review of the initial wells selected for re-entry and sampling and is evaluating initial workover plans generated by Mandrake.
Mandrake is now evaluating an initial truck-mounted well logging programme which would provide a series of datasets that would be crucial in providing more information on current well configuration and target zones likely to host lithium-rich brines.
Mandrake has also received bids from multiple drilling contractors for the forthcoming workover programme, all of which have indicated rig availability in the coming months.
Paradox Basin, USA
The Paradox Basin in the south-eastern Utah ‘lithium four corners’ area hosts hypersaline brines historically documented to contain significant concentrations of lithium, potassium salts (potash), bromine, boron and other elements.
The Paradox Basin hosts the Cane Creek potash mine operated by Intrepid Potash (the United States’ biggest potash producer) and the operations of mid-tier ASX-listed lithium developer Anson Resources who has an existing JORC Mineral Resource of 1.04Mt of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) and 5.27Mt of Bromine.