Coal-bed-methane gas development for Mat-Su.

• Position: Oil & Gas - Matanuska-Susitna Borough - Brief Article

Several hundred new jobs could be created in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough if Denver, Colo.-based Evergreen Resources Inc. can economically develop shallow-bed natural gas in its Pioneer Unit.

Located just northwest of Anchorage in the Wasilla-Houston vicinity, the 72,000-acre coal-bed-methane project is estimated to contain at least one-half trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to Evergreen President and CEO Mark Sexton.

A recognized leader in nonconventional gas development, Evergreen says that if Pioneer lives up to expectations, the company has plans to expand into larger field offices along the Parks Highway, near the unit. Last year, Evergreen drilled two, four-well pilots. Each well encountered coal seams with aggregate thicknesses in excess of 100 feet, according to company engineers. Its capital expenditure budget for Alaska in 2002 was about $6.5 million and in 2003 the company has budgeted nearly $8 million for Alaska exploration activities. In this effort, Evergreen will have completed eight...