Waipawa-Whangai Fractured Shale

COO Drew Cadenhead shows a layer of
oil-and gas-rich shale source rock where
drilling and completion technology can
establish production directly from the source.

Unconventional Resource Opportunity
As conventional hydrocarbon reserves continue to decline, experts' estimates of the world's remaining reserves indicate that a total of 70% of the world's future reserves will be sourced from unconventional oil and gas resources, including oil sands, coal bed methane, gas hydrates and fractured oil and gas shales.

World-Class Fractured Shale Source Rocks
Trans-Orient is at the forefront to take advantage of this unconventional opportunity with its 100%-controlled Waipawa Black Shale and Whangai Shale project on the East Coast of New Zealand. The project encompasses the main play area where the Waipawa-Whangai fractured shale formations are widespread and thickly developed throughout the Company's multi-million acre land holding.

The oil- and gas-rich Waipawa Black Shale and Whangai Shale formations are comparable in total organic carbon content and oil and gas maturity levels to such successful fractured shale plays as the Bakken Shale of North America's prolific Williston Basin, and the Barnett Shale in East Texas. In addition, measured primary porosities in both the Waipawa Black Shale and the Whangai Shale Formation are in the 22-30% range, well above what is typically found in the Bakken or Barnett and have potential to contain major quantities of oil and gas.

Measured primary porosities in both the Waipawa Black Shale and the Whangai Formation are in the 22-30% range, well above what is typically found in the Bakken or Barnett shale. See a comparison

As drilling and fracturing technology continues to improve, areas once thought to contain oil and gas that would never see the light of day are today considered to be the most prolific and hottest plays in the industry.

See the East Coast Basin stratigraphy that drives Trans-Orient's two-pronged exploration approach.

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