Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Legacy: To Extend Its Spearfish Play into North Dakota

The future of the Spearfish formation in Bottineau Country remains a real mystery.

Early on, NDIC/Director, Lynn Helms, or others, said "we" could see 2,000 to 7,000 wells in a relatively small area along the North Dakota-Canadian border a bit east of the Bakken activity. There were articles that EOG would bring its Saskatchewan experience and success across the border into North Dakota.

But then, after a few wells were drilled, completed, and reported, EOG's activitiy ended. This was about the same time that EOG was shellacked by shareholders after reporting 3Q10 results. Shortly after that I posted a short essay questioning whether EOG had thrown in the towel on the Spearfish in North Dakota.

It didn't take long for readers to point out that I might have been premature in that assessment.

Today, there was a press release in an obscure investors' newsletter -- at least obscure to me -- in which the Spearfish was mentioned again.
Legacy Oil + Gas said Tuesday it has acquired producing oil assets in southwest Manitoba from Molopa Energy Canada for approximately $185.4 million.

The assets, consisting of 800 bopd light oil production, are located in the Spearfish resource play, and provide the company with development drilling opportunities over 40,924 gross acres, expanding its existing footprint in the area.
In that same press release Legacy said it planned on extending the Spearfish play into North Dakota with its current drilling activity in Bottineau County.

For the January, 2011, presentation, click on:
http://www.legacyoilandgas.com/documents/Legacy_CorporatePresentation_Jan13_2011.pdf  (a PDF file).

For the website, click here

For the record, Legacy was issued seven (7) permits by the NDIC in 2010, but none in 2009 or 2008, and none so far in 2011. The seven permits issued in 2010:
  • 19462, Legacy Et Al Emergy Norm 4-19H, release from confidential list: 5/20/11
  • 19567, Legacy Et Al Bliss 13-10H, release from confidential list: 6/15/11
  • 19588, Legacy Et Al Berge 12-12H 1-H, rig on site (March, 2011), release, 8/23/11
  • 19612, Legacy Et Al Berge 9-1H 1-H, release date from confidential list 8/6/11
  • 19613, Legacy Et Al Fett 12-18 1-H, release date from confidential list 7/21/11
  • 19682, Legacy Et Al Fett 12-19 1-H, no release date yet
  • 20129, Legacy Et Al Bliss 5-10 1-H, no release date
So, we'll see.  These permits are in T163N-R76W; T163N-R77W; and, T162N-R76W.

According to Legacy Oil and Gas presentation of January, 2011, EOG has drilled ten (10) Spearfish wells in this area.

3 comments:

  1. They are setting up tanks on the Bliss well, so this seems like a good sign!

    ReplyDelete
  2. On the GIS map server, I see a rig-on-site at the northern-most Legacy well, #19612, "Berge" 9-1H 1-H. The "Berge" comes off the confidential list on August 6, 2011, which means that this well is completed and the rig is ready to move on.

    The two Bliss wells are in the same section, 10-T162N-R76W, about 5 miles northwest of Bottineau, but no rig-on-site on the map server. My hunch is that the "Berge" well rig will be moving to the Bliss well.

    Good luck. It will be interesting to see which formation (Spearfish?) and the IP.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Having spent some time in the Williston area last summer, and feeling the excitement of pads being developed (and I don't even own any mineral rights), it has to be downright exhilarating to see this activity if you have mineral rights in the area.

    ReplyDelete