Correction/Update: $12,500/Acre -- Bell Field -- North Dakota, USA

Updates

August 8, 2012: the Obrigewitch wells in Bell field.

April 28, 2011: Due to mechanical difficulties at the # 19623, Obrigewitch 21-17TFH, Whiting believes that only one or two frac stages of the well’s total 16 frac stages are contributing to current production. Despite these difficulties, the Obrigewitch well was completed flowing 1,189 BOE per day. Whiting holds a 96% working interest and a 77% net revenue interest in the well. [Update: cum 185K 7/12; producing at 6K/month.]

Permits

2014
29301, loc, Whiting, Cymbaluk Federal 31-15PH,
29149, loc, Whiting, Solbert 44-12PH,
29086, loc, Whiting, Cymbaluk Federal 41-15PH,
28987, conf, CLR, Debrecen 4-3H1,
28674, drl, Whiting, Koch 34-19PH,
28673, conf, Whiting, Lydia 21-14-2PH,
28669, conf, Whiting, Dolyniuk 34-23PH,
28613, conf, CLR, Debrecen 3-3H1,
28455, conf, CLR, Debrecen 2-3H1,
27947, conf, Whiting, Bock Federeal 44-7PH, producing,

2013 (list is complete)
26292, conf, Whiting, Newton Federal 44-4PH, Bell, producing,
26291, 1,645, Whiting, Newton 41-4PH, Bell, t4/14; cum 67K 8/14;
26290, l,615, Whiting, Newton Federal 42-4PH, Bell, t4/14; cum 50K 8/14;
25471, 1,236, Whiting, Privratsky 24-22PH, Bell, t9/13; cum 57K 8/14;
25470, 1,144, Whiting, Privratsky 14-22PH, Bell, t9/13; cum 59K 8/14;
25454, 1,614, Whiting, Obrigewitch 11-29PH, Bell, t9/13; cum 84K 8/14;
25453, 2,027, Whiting, Obrigewitch 21-29PH, Bell, t9/13; cum 99K 8/14;
25452, 1,171, Whiting, Obrigewitch 41-29PH, Bell, t9/13; cum 84K 8/14;
24860, 1,679, Whiting, Dietz 14-7PH, Bell, t7/13; cum 64K 8/14;
24859, 1,210, Whiting, Dietz 34-7PH, Bell, t7/13; cum 72K 8/14;


2012
22283, 1,493, Whiting, Cymbaluk 11-15PH, Bell, t6/12; cum 147K 8/14;
22285, 1,329, Whiting, Buckman 44-9PH, Bell, t9/12; cum 102K 8/14;
22286, 1,669, Whiting, Buckman 34-9PH, Bell, t9/12; cum 135K 8/14;
22287, 1,738, Whiting, Obrigewitch 41-16PH, Bell, t11/12; cum 182K 8/14;
22326, 1,582, Whiting, Talkington 41-30PH, Bell, t5/12; cum 146K 8/14;
22372, 1,775, Whiting, 3J Trust 24-8PH, Bell, t6/12; cum 201K 8/14;
22373, 2,172, Whiting, Froehlich 11-28PH, Bell, t11/12; cum 137K 8/14;
22594, 1,303, Whiting, Solberg 44-11PH, t7/12; cum 106K 8/14;
22774, 1,974, Whiting, Froehlich41-28PH, Bell, t11/12; cum 135K 8/14;
22864, 1,890, Whiting, Obrigewitch 41-17PH, Bell, t11/12; cum 163K 8/14;
22865, 2,312, Whiting, 3 J Trust 44-8PH, Bell, t11/12; cum 70K 3/13;
22949, 993, Whiting, Lydia 11-14PH, Bell, t9/12; cum 53K 3/13;
22950, 1,494, Whiting, Solberg 14-11PH, Bell, t9/12; cum 59K 3/13;
22955, 821, Whiting, Talkington 11-30PH, t8/12; cum 60K 3/13;
23273, 426, Whiting, Froehlich 34-9PH, t9/12; cum 27K 3/13;
23419, 1,556, Whiting, Hecker 11-18PH, t11/12; cum 92K 3/13;
23420, 1,861, Whiting, Frank 14-7PH, t11/12; cum 185K 12/13;
23467, 1,132, Whiting, Buckman 14-9PH, t12/12; cum 107K 12/13;
23468, 1,244, Whiting, Obrigewitch 11-16PH, t12/12; cum 93K 12/13;

2011
20695, 168, Whiting, Solberg 34-12TFH; Bell, t2/12; cum 53K 8/14;
20795, 1,895, Whiting,3 J Trust 34-8PH; note the "P" designation; t6/12; cum 191K 8/14;
20828, 2,456, Whiting, Frank 34-7TFH, t1/12; cum 300K 8/14;
20893, 2,805, Whiting, Mastel 41-18TFH, t11/11; cum 321K 8/14;
20911, PNC, Whiting, Kubas 41-13TFH, 12/13;
21018, 1,517, Whiting, Obrigewitch 11-17TFH, t12/11; cum 240K 8/14;
21291, 782, Whiting, Froehlich 41-9TFH, t12/11; cum 114K 8/14;
21655, 1,123, Whiting, Solberg 34-11PH, t7/12; cum 107K 8/14;
21895, 638, Whiting, Kubas 34-12PH, t2/12; cum 82K 8/14;
22094, 608, Whiting, Lydia 41-14PH, t7/12; cum 79K 8/14;
22167, 1,545, Whiting, Frank 44-7PH, t4/12; cum 213K 8/14;
22169, 795, Whiting, Solberg 14-12PH, t6/12; cum 75K 8/14;

2010
19967, 809, Whiting,Talkington 21-30TFH, Bell, t7/11; cum 155K 8/14;
20064, 1,875, Whiting, Froehlich 21-28PH, t11/12; cum 154K 8/14;

Before 2010
19623, 1,075, Whiting, Obrigewitch 21-17TFH, t4/11; cum 237K 8/14; well returned to production on 2/22 after pump installed; from geologist's report: middle Bakken only 6 feet thick; lower Bakken is only 1 foot thick (no typo); gas units >8,000 units; 10' flare; then >9,000 units with a 45' flare; higher pressure and gas than anticipated; no indication that it has been re-fracked; only 6 - 7 stages stimulated due to problems;

Original Post

Just a few days ago I suggested that the $9,000/acre bonus paid for five tracts of land in the Zenith oil field near Belfield, North Dakota, was a record for non-Bakken acreage.

I need to correct that. First of all, although the area has a fair number of excellent wells that targeted the Tyler formation in the 1980's, most likely the current interest is in the Three Forks formation, part of the Bakken Pool.

Second: looking back at the North Dakota state land lease auctions, it turns out that there was a higher bonus paid for acreage in the very same area. Last May, 2010, Summit Resources paid $12,500/acre bonus for 8 acres in 24-140-99, in the Bell oil field, just west of the $9,000/acre tracts in Zenith oil field. I forgot that I had posted that back on May 6, 2010.

[As long as I'm correcting myself, I should point out that these bonuses are in the public domain, from North Dakota state lease auctions. I have no idea what private individuals are being paid. It has been reported that a bonus of $33,000/acre was paid for a tract of land in the Parshall oil field a couple of years ago (probably in 2008). This would have been a private transaction and confirming it would be very, very difficult.]

The town of Belfield sits in Bell oil field. Bell oil field is west and north of Zenith oil field, where the recent bonus of $9,000/acre for five tracts was paid.

Back on January 4, 2011, I posted a long commentary on Whiting activity in Stark County after noting a string of Whiting wells/permits running west to east just north of Belfield.

That was an extremely long post (with the update), so here is the key part of that posting, once again:

The Whiting well reported out today (January 4, 2011) gave me a reason to look again at the string of wells Whiting has in Bell field, Stark County, the southwest area of North Dakota targeting the Three Forks formation.

Whiting has a string of Three Forks wells running west to east north of Belfield which should be very exciting to follow:

• 19444, 3,106, WLL, Hecker 21-18TFH, huge story, click on link; s11/10; t3/11; F; cum 279K 3/13; 
• 19623, 1,075, Obrigewitch 21-17TFH, t4/11; cum 211K 3/13;; see note below
• 19337, 772, Mann 21-18TFH, t12/10; AL; cum 77K 3/13;
• 20079, 2,760, Whiting, Obrigewitch 21-16TFH, Bell, t2/12; cum 215K 3/13;  it was completed in February of this year and by June had produced almost 120K bbls of light, sweet crude
• 19891, 2,087, Cymbaluk 21-15TFH, t6/12; cum 119K 3/13;
• 19819, 1,645, Lydia 21-14TFH,Bakken, Bell, s6/11; t9/11; F; cum 116K 3/13;;
• 18837, 1,780, Kubas 11-13TFH, s5/10, t9/10; cum 118K 3/13;; 7,000 bbls in its sixth month; down to 2,700 bopm; compared to 10,000 bbls in its first full month of production; it produced 15K in its first 22 days. However, in January when a lot of wells were shut in due to weather, it produced 5K in just 14 days -- a full month of production would have exceeded 10K

It should be noted that Whiting is targeting the Three Forks formation with these permits/wells, but that the Tyler formation is another outstanding pay zone in the very same area. My hunch is that the EURs for the Three Forks formations may approach 600,000, and the EURs for the Tyler formations may approach 400,000 on average. Some Tyler wells, still producing, have passed the 500,000 bbl milestone for total oil produced and are still producing. One example is:

• 9706, 571, New Millennium Resources (orig CENEX), Decker 1-32, Bell field, Tyler, 750K bbls as of 3/13; still producing 2,000 bbls/month; spudded 1982; 31 years of production

Again, the Belfield area appears to be headed for an incredible run, led by Whiting. It's very possible this area will rival WLL's Sanish field by the time this area is developed, considering the two pay zones (Tyler and Three Forks).