Exploration firm Pan Andean has started drilling in Texas in a venture the company says may contain up to seven billion cubic feet of gas.
The company is spending $1 million on the well, which is on the company's Vrazel lease, part of the Danbury Dome area.
It will take an estimated 12 days to reach the target depth of 9,200 feet and the well can be tied in to existing pipelines within three weeks.