Gastar Exploration has signed a long-awaited joint venture that will allow the US junior to accelerate development of its acreage in the emerging Stack tight oil play in Oklahoma and sold a chunk of its holdings there.

Houston-based Gastar has brought in an unnamed “global investment fund” to help bankroll up to 60 wells across 18,000 net acres in Kingfisher County, where it is targeting the Meramec and Osage formations within the Stack play.

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