Drilling Down in the Sanish -- No, Drilling Is Not Down -- "Drilling Down" into the Data -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

For newbies, who want to get a quick visual example of how two different companies are approaching the Bakken, it is very, very easy. Go to the NDIC web site, download the GIS map server, and zoom in on the Sanish oil field and the Parshall oil field.

Compare the two fields side-by-side. The Sanish oil field is "owned" by Whiting. The Parshall oil field is owned by EOG.

EOG got a head start on WLL in these respective fields, at least from my perspective. EOG had some great wells early on in the Parshall but recently their wells seem not so spectacular. Today, there is one rig operating in the Parshall. Meanwhile, there are eight rigs operating in the Sanish.

EOG has barely begun putting in development or infill wells. Whiting appears to be moving as quickly as possible to develop their Sanish field. The strategy of Whiting appears to use the Sanish as their cash cow to develop fields elsewhere.

EOG has mostly short laterals in the Parshall (I assume that will change) and placing one well in each section. Whiting is all about long laterals, and is putting up to seven wells in a 1280-acre spacing unit.

Just to see what Whiting's experience has been in the Sanish, I simply went to the GIS map server, and went across the map, typing in file numbers, and then looking up production data. There was no rhyme or reason to how I picked the file numbers, and a few non-Whiting wells showed up. But look at that: compare head-to-head the Whiting wells (IPs about 2,000 to 4,000) with the IPs of Fidelity (300 - 600). But enven with low IPs, Fidelity's total production slowly gets to 100K, the generally accepted number at which the wells are close to being paid for (at the wellhead).

Here are updates of 30 to 50 wells in the Sanish that are off the confidential list (Whiting wells unless otherwise stated) (IPs in red; the last "figure" is total production as of 1/11):

T154N-R92W

• 18268, 997, t1/10; cum 156K 9/14;
• 19044, 1,866, t10/10; cum 226K 9/14;
• 19025, 1,361, t11/10; cum 186K 9/14;
• 17091, FIDELITY, 575, t7/08; cum 158K 9/14;
• 19081, FIDELITY, 788, t2/11; cum 157KK 9/14;
• 19080, FIDELITY, 877, t10/10; cum 188K 9/14;
• 17642, FIDELITY, 810, t4/09; cum 122K 9/14;
• 17641, FIDELITY, 448; t7/09; cum 111K 9/14;
• 18350, FIDELITY, 904, t6/10; cum 170K 9/14;
• 17879, FIDELITY, 145, t2/11; cum 67K 9/14;
• 17056, FIDELTIY, 419, t8/08; cum 149K 9/14;
• 17098, FIDELITY, 516, t9/08; cum 178K 9/14;
• 19291, 1,851, t11/10; cum 221K 9/14;
• 18342, 1,274, 4/10; cum 278K 9/14;
• 19029, 2,411, t10/10; cum 297K 9/14;
• 18928, 1,890, t8/10; cum 330K 9/14;
• 19517, 1,870, t2/11; cum 293K 9/14;
• 18318, 1,759, t2/10; cum 320K 9/14;
• 18711, 4,126, t7/10; cum 387K 9/14;
• 18347, 2,074, t5/10; cum 242K 9/14;
• 16953, FIDELITY, 440, 4/09; cum 212K 9/14;
• 18302, FIDELITY, 555, t3/10; cum 149K 9/14;
• 17102, FIDELITY, 337, t9/08; cum 147K 9/14;
• 17652, FIDELITY, 403, t2/09; cum 182K 9/14;
• 18345, FIDELITY, 997, t5/10; cum 181K 9/14;
• 19195, 2,654, t12/10; cum 316K 9/14;
• 18167, 1,337, t9/09; cum 234K 9/14;
• 18055, 1,316, t9/09; cum 269K 9/14;
• 18570, 3,475, t8/10; cum 394K 9/14;
• 18462, 2,249, t4/10; cum 426K 9/14;

T154N-R91W

• 18085, 1,370, test date 10/09, 132K
• 18176, 1,731, test date 2/10, 124K
• 19355, 3,159, test date 1/11, 17K
• 18247, 2,080, test date 11/09, 178K
• 18244, 3,014, test date 1/10, 186K
• 18530, 2,686, test date 5/10, 226K
• 17092, 3,027, t6/08; cum 1,001,579 9/14;  (at $50/bbl = $50 million)
• 17872, 1,814, test date 5/10, 185K
• 18298, 3,422, test date 1/10, 251K
• 19502, 2,720, test date 2/11, no data
• 17154, MUREX, 221, test date 7/08, 245K
• 18409, 2,404, test date 3/10, 244K (at $75/bbl = $18 million in less than one year)
• 17338, FIDELITY, 352, test date 1/09, 194K
• 18408, MUREX, 1,945, test date 2/10, 330K

T153N-R92W

• 16092, 92, test date 6/06, 24K
• 17964, 571, test date 6/09, 61K
• 17827, 865, test date 6/09, 94K
• 19242, 1,667, test date 10/10, 41K
• 17284, 1,152, test date 11/08, 86K
• 18947, 2,595, test date 10/10, 54K
• 17285, 1,207, test date 3/09, 89K
• 18762, 1,146, test date 6/10, 49K
• 18990, 1,054, test date 9/10, 38K
• 17717, FIDELITY, 292, test date 2/08, 107K
• 17898, SINCLAIR, 912, test date 3/09, 107K
• 16750, SINCLAIR, No IP, test date 12/07, 103K
• 17157, 1,176, test date 5/09, 97K
• 19082, 697, test date 1/11, 12K
• 16734, 945, test date 3/08, 133K
• 16879, FIDELITY, 83, test date, 77K
• 17812, FIDELTIY, 660, test date 6/09, 155K
• 18743, 1,468, test date 8/10, 54K
• 17643, 1,038, test date 4/09, 109K
• 18475, 2,405, test date 5/10, 142K
• 16781, 1,923, test date 4/08, 315K
• 16463, 1,081, test date 5/07, 293K
• 18869, 947, test date 10/10, 27K
• 16833, 1,009, test date 4/08, 112K

T153N-R91W

• 18804, 1,561, test date 8/10, 46K
• 18297, 2,762, test date 3/10, 172K
• 18876, 3,023, test date 8/10, 91K
• 17133, 2,195, test date 8/08, 313K
• 18392, 2,530, test date 3/10, 141K
• 18853, 1,485, test date 7/10, 89K (# of days production way down March - May, 2011)
• 16852, 1,765, test date 6/08, 280K
• 18500, 1,073, test date 8/10, 8K (no production since October, 2010; only one month of production) (still no production after that initial month, as of May, 2011)
• 17443, 1,663, test date 2/09, 231K
• 18077, 1,773, test date 9/09, 204K
• 17158, 4,184, test date 10/08, 549K, Richardson Federal 11-9H
• 17917, 1,782, test date 5/10, 162K
• 17700, 3,405, test date 4/09, 317K, Rigel State 11-16H
• 18278, 2,894, test date 1/10, 199K, Rigel State 12-16H; one year of production!
• 17134, 3,115, test date 11/08, 279K, Smith 11-20H
• 16731, 1,323, test date 12/07, 338K, Locken 11-22H
• 18531, 3,863, test date 6/10, 146K, Hansen 12-20H, one-half year of production!
• 17032, 1,934, test date 7/08, 230K
• 17908, 3,226, test date 3/10, 151K
• 16731, 1,323, test date 12/07, 339K
• 16780, 2,247, test date 1/08, 331K
  

T152N-R92W

• 16068, 104, test date 5/05, 126K; Bartleson 44-1H; it took awhile but this well has paid for itself; now producing at 1,500 bbls/month; seems to have leveled out
• 19364, 874, test date 1/11, 8K
• 17337, 1,020, test date 5/09, 102K
• 16905, 1,135, test date 9/08, 143K, Brehm 44-5H
• 18882, 1,527, test date 7/10, 84K
• 18724, 1,251, test date 6/10, 59K
• 17552, 843, test date 2/09, 105K
• 16902, 791, test date 7/08, 249K, Lacey 11-1H, production declining slightly at 4,000 bopm
• 17326, 3,199, test date 5/10, 134K
• 17544, 2,164, test date 5/09, 194K
  

T152N-R91W

• 17072, 
• 18477,
• 17579,
• 16845
• 17912,
• 18109,

More to follow

Note: this is not an investment site. I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and the oil and gas industry. The "easy money" has been made in the Bakken. It may still be in the growth stage, but it is clearly transitioning to a value (development) stage. I am impressed with the strategy that Whiting has chosen.