HOUSTON, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apache Corporation announced today that horizontal wells drilled in the Ootla shale play in Northeast British Columbia test-flowed at rates of 8.8 million cubic feet (MMcf), 6.1 MMcf and 5.3 MMcf of gas per day.

The three wells drilled during the 2008 winter season are producing from the Muskwa shale and flowing through Apache's Missile gas plant. The Ootla area is in the northeast corner of British Columbia, about 60 miles from Fort Nelson, B.C.

"Although we are still in the early stages of understanding the full scope of this play, these three wells help validate our view that Ootla has the potential to be one of the larger shale gas accumulations in North America," said G. Steven Farris, Apache's president and chief executive officer.

Apache Press Release