The methane drainage borehole was directionally drilled and maintained in the gassy Pocahontas No. 3 coal seam. The borehole was one of five drilled by REI at the Buchanan Mine that exceeded 5000ft in length.

The record borehole was completed by REI’s drilling supervisor and 24-year directional drilling veteran Randy Sparrow and his crew – comprising directional driller Roger Benson and driller helper Andrew Rondinelli, with support from Consol Energy’s degasification and drilling crew headed by Calvin Green.

REI drilled its first 5000ft borehole at the Buchanan Mine in 2004 and then set its sights on using directional drilling to break the one mile (5280ft) barrier in depth.

“Favourable hole conditions allowed us to hit the one-mile mark at about 6pm and drill down every rod we had onsite and reach 5325ft,” Benson said.

Degasification improves the safety and productivity of the Buchanan Mine, with the gas gathered and sold by CNX Gas Corporation.

REI provides directional drilling services primarily to the coal industry for methane drainage, geologic and old works exploration, water transfer, and de-stressing. REI operates a fleet of seven directional drills.