Each one in plain English, with the numbers worked through for a shareholder.
8 Sept 2025drilling progress report▲ GoodMajor
Thirteen of the 28 wells in the second-half programme were rig-released, and the six that reached 30 days of production were well ahead of pre-drill expectations, supporting a record seven-day Peace River average of about 14,500 boe/d. Water injection started at the Bluesky and Clearwater pilots, and $30 million of senior notes were redeemed in August using InPlay proceeds.
2024 production averaged about 37,450 boe/d, above the top of guidance and roughly 16% up on 2023, with the fourth quarter around 40,000 boe/d. The first wells in the new Peavine and Gift Lake areas of Peace River worked: the Peavine 8-13 pad averaged 302 boe/d per well of 100% oil over its first 30 days, and the two-well 12-19 Pembina pad was producing over 1,100 boe/d combined.
First-quarter production of 29,407 boe/d, with current production already at 33,000 boe/d on new wells; 19 wells rig-released in the quarter from a four-rig programme and 14 on production. Funds flow was $101.3 million excluding $22.7 million of share-based compensation charges, and guidance went up again to 30,300-31,300 boe/d.
All 2021 wells and eight of the first-half 2022 wells were on production, with guidance raised 1,000 boe/d to 30,100-31,100 boe/d against about 29,400 boe/d in the first quarter. Obsidian also bought 14 sections of Peace River land prospective for the Bluesky and Clearwater, and struck a commercial agreement with Whitecap Resources over Pembina Cardium Unit No. 11.
Obsidian set a 2022 capital programme of $143-149 million with four rigs running: 19 Cardium wells in Willesden Green and Pembina plus ten in Peace River, four of them Clearwater appraisal wells. It forecast free cash flow of $166 million at US$75 WTI.
The 2021 drilling programme finished on schedule. Full-year production came in at the low end of the 24,600-24,800 boe/d guidance, partly because the Peace River purchase closed slightly late, but December - the first full month with the whole partnership - averaged 27,260 boe/d with six new wells on stream mid-month.
Third-quarter funds flow of $59.3 million and net debt down to $428.1 million, with the second-half drilling programme running well. The larger news came after the quarter: Obsidian agreed to buy the remaining 45% of the Peace River Oil Partnership from its partner, taking full ownership of the asset it had failed to sell in 2019.
Two rigs running in the Cardium, full-year production tracking to the top of the raised guidance range within the capital plan, and Loukas's interim chief executive contract extended to the end of 2021.
Second-quarter production averaged 24,651 boe/d, 6% above the first quarter and ahead of plan, lifting full-year guidance to 24,000-24,400 boe/d. Net income of $322.5 million was almost entirely a $311.5 million reversal of earlier Cardium impairments on higher price forecasts and better drilling results, not cash. Net debt fell to $435.7 million and three more wells were added to the second-half programme.
All nine first-half wells were on stream, at $3.3 million each, 2% below the 2020 average with 10% more lateral length, and second-quarter production came in around 24,650 boe/d against 23,225 in the first. The release gives the full decline: the best well ran 910 boe/d over ten days, 748 over thirty and 538 over ninety - the ninety-day rate is roughly 60% of the ten-day rate, which is the honest number for valuing this kind of Cardium well.
First-quarter results with the first-half drilling programme complete: nine Cardium wells, funds flow of $36.3 million, net income of $23.2 million against a $747.6 million loss a year earlier, production of 23,225 boe/d and net debt down 12% to $455.0 million. The 4-35 pad was the standout - its three wells came in at 910, 849 and 690 boe/d over the first ten days and 748, 662 and 714 boe/d over thirty. One 13-19 well started at 57 boe/d because frac fluid took time to recover and was at 220 boe/d by the release.
A $40 million first-half 2021 programme - $35 million of capital and $5 million of decommissioning - for seven Willesden Green Cardium wells, expandable to eight, most of them beside the 2020 wells.
After suspending capital spending for most of 2020, Obsidian added $3.2 million to restart Cardium drilling with a three-well pad at Willesden Green in early December. It also took ownership of over 15 km of Bigoray pipelines and put $2 million into one of its own processing facilities to restore 450 boe/d of high-netback oil lost when a third-party plant closed permanently, protecting more than a million barrels of oil equivalent of proved developed producing reserves and saving about $1 million a year of operating cost.
All 19 wells of the Cardium campaign begun in July 2018 were completed and on production at an average $3.8 million each to drill, complete, equip and tie in. The 14 wells drilled in 2018 averaged 540 boe/d over their first 30 days at 87% oil; the last three wells showed single-day peak rates above 1,000 boe/d per well, which is a peak-day figure and not comparable with a 30-day average.