PDC announced $233 million Capital Program; Projected 19% year-over-year growth in production for 2011

PDC Energy expects production growth of 19% in 2011, as the company moves to accelerate development of oil and liquid assets in the onshore area of the United States. The company plan to spend $233 million in 2011 to develop its various properties in the United States. The company will put 75% of this capital into oil and liquid plays, including the Niobrara Shale and the Permian Basin.

PDC Energy expects to produce between 2.4 million and 2.5 million barrels of oil and other liquids in 2011, up 34% from 2010. The following map illustrates the company’s planned operational activities in 2011.

Niobrara Shale
PDC Energy has 74,100 net acres under lease in the Denver Julesburg Basin in Colorado, with much of this acreage in the Wattenberg Field.  The company plans to drill 14 horizontal wells into the Niobrara in 2011.

Permian Basin
PDC Energy has 12,800 net acres under lease in the Permian Basin, where the company is working in several different areas. In 2011, PDC Energy plans to drill 25 vertical wells there, and recomplete six others. 

The company is working on different formations, with a primary emphasis on the Clear Fork, Spraberry and Wolfberry zones.  Annual production from the Permian Basin is projected to double by the end of 2011, to approximately 75,000  boe.

Other Plays
Despite the emphasis in 2011 on oil and liquids, PDC Energy is not abandoning natural gas development. The company has 56,100 net acres under lease in the Appalachian Basin that is prospective for the Marcellus Shale. The company plans to drill nine wells into this formation on its acreage in West Virginia.  

PDC Energy also has 8,000 net acres under lease in the Piceance Basin in Colorado, and plans to drill 12 wells there in 2011. Other companies involved in the Piceance Basin include, which drilled 125 net wells there in 2010. Occidental Petroleum also operates in this area, and has 120,000 net acres under lease.

The company will leverage its onshore oil properties in the U.S., while still advancing its natural gas production. By targeting the Niobrara and Permian Basin formations, PDC hopes to increase its development of oil and other liquids by 19% in 2011.

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