For Newbies: A Quick Look Where the Bakken Is Headed: S T A G G E R I N G

Link here.  (regional links break early and break often)

How many wells in a 1280-acre spacing unit: the number could be in the teens -- Director, NDIC.

In fact, Helms says the state just issued a permit for the largest drilling pad in the state history - a pad to allow many wells at one site.

"We just permitted for Contininental Resources the largest oil pad we've permitted so far just outside of Williston, it's got 14 wells and will extract the oil from the Missouri River bottoms where there was flooding last year."

A bit of inconvenience for awhile:

He admits that for the people living along a road where there once was one well and will someday be a dozen or more are going to be unhappy with the thousands of trucks that'll have to travel that road. But he says the bigger picture is that the state will be able to keep multiplying its oil production while keeping the adverse impact on the countryside as small as possible.

This is from today's posting of what operators are asking to drill in the future:

• 18670, CLR, Oakdale-Bakken, 18 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit; Dunn
• 18671, CLR, Elm Tree-Bakken, 18 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit; McKenzie
• 18672, CLR, Antelope-Sanish, 18 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit; McKenzie
• 18621, Hess, Alkali Creek-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit, and 20 wells on each 2560-acre; McKenzie, Mountrail, Williams
• 18622, Hess, Robinson Lake-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit, and 20 wells on each 2560-acre; McKenzie, Mountrail
• 18623, Hess, Alger-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit, and 20 wells on each 2560-acre; McKenzie, Mountrail
• 18624, Hess, Manitou-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit; Mountrail, Williams
• 18625, Hess, Big Butte-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit; Mountrail
• 18626, Hess, Baskin-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit; Mountrail
• 18627, Hess, Beaver Lodge-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit;  Williams
• 18628, Hess, Capa-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit; Williams18629, Hess, Hofflund-Bakken, 10 wells on each 1280-acre unit; Williams, McKenzie 
• 18781, EOG, Squaw Creek-Bakken, 3 wells on each existing 320-acre unit; McKenzie; this translates to 6 wells on a section -- remember, at one time, folks in Williston were talking about one (1) well in each section would be exciting

By the way, I've argued that larger spacing units are good for everyone. When I took a poll, I was in the minority. Maybe some day I will get around to explaining why larger spacing units are good for everyone. My assumption is that over time, folks will figure it out for themselves.