Calgary-based Eastern Canada explorers Questerre Energy Corp. and Talisman have reported a successful shale gas test well at its Gentilly well in the French-speaking province of Quebec.

The recompleted well flowed 800,000 cubic feet per day and confirms the worldwide interest of oil companies in shale.

“This was from one set of stimulated perforations in the Utica shale only,” shale partner Questerre statement said Wednesday, hinting of much more. The Shale drilling sounded conventional: “The well, which is a re-entry to a previously drilled Trenton-Black River well, was tested in early August … for 18 days … pressures and flow rates were constant or slightly increasing,” Questerre chronicled, its chief executive calling the result “excellent”.

More “frac” results are due late in 2008 from a layer of shale. Dubbed Lorraine, the second shale layer e sits on top of the Utica and could be 6,500 feet thick.

By comparison, Utica shale is nowhere more than 1,000 ft. thick.

The oil company partners are contemplating putting more money on completing, testing and evaluating their Quebec shale well.

Meanwhile, leases in the U.S. are being modified to permit the delineation of shale licenses. In Europe, Shell has upped its stake in shale by obtaining acreage in shale-rich Sweden.

Tags: Quest Resource Corporation, Talisman Energy