More on the Lodgepole

(Corrected November 30, 2010)

I apologize for folks who are tired of this subject, but the Lodgepole formation has really caught my interest. If you want to know why I'm interested in the Lodgepole, click here first to get an overview. 

According to the NDIC website, since 1993 forty-eight (48) wells have been drilled into the Lodgepole. Those 48 wells have produced a total of 55,848,939 barrels of oil. By my calculations (55,848,939 bbls / 48 wells), that equals an average of 1,163,520 barrels of oil per well. I assume these are mostly vertical (conventional) wells but I don't know for sure.

On September 10, 2009, Continental Resources (CLR) announced another significant Lodgepole well, the Laurine Engel 1 in a press release.

Continental Resources, Inc. today announced a significant Lodgepole discovery in Stark County, ND. The Laurine Engel #1 (33% WI) flowed 463 bopd at 650 psi flowing tubing pressure from 10 feet of perforations in the Lodgepole formation. The well was a conventional vertical test drilled to 9,754 feet of total depth.

"This is the first significant Lodgepole discovery in the Dickinson area since the late 1990s," said Harold Hamm, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Resources. "Initial wells targeting the Lodgepole formation were drilled in 1993, and since that time 41 producing wells have yielded 55 million barrels of oil and 28 Bcf of natural gas."

Same well, different story.

The operator for the well was Armstrong Operating, Inc., of Dickinson, North Dakota.

Except for the years between 1994 and 2000, when Armstrong reported anywhere from five to ten wells per year (except for only one well in 1998), the company generally drills one to two wells per year. In 2005, 1 well; 2006, 2 wells; 2007, none; 2008, 1 well; 2009, 1 well; and, in 2010, so far, 2 wells.

The two 2010 wells are file number 18496, Gruman 18-3 with a status date of March 10, 2010; and, 19975, Zastoupil 1-17, permit granted this past month, no status date yet but on the confidential list.  Armstrong's Gruman well and Zastoupil well are in adjoining sections.

• The location of the Gruman well: NENE 18-139-96
• The location of the Zastoupil well: SESW 17-139-96

Where are the Oil for America wells? They are all in adjoining sections.

• 19785, Froelich 27-2; 27-138-97, rig-on-site;12 miles southwest of center of Dickinson
• 19601, Wieglenda 23-1; 23-139-94; 15 miles east-southeast of center of Dickinson
• 19272, Wolf 29-1; 29-139-95; six miles southeast of center of Dickinson
• 19258, Zastoupil 22-1; 22-139-97; six miles SW of ctr of Dickinson, just outside Eland field
• 20061, Dohrmann 13-1; 13-140-94; 15 miles east-northeast of Dickinson

For the past several weeks, Whiting has been granted at least one permit almost every day it seems in the same county, Stark County:

• 19891, Cymbaluk 21-15TFH, 15-140N-99W
• 19923, Richard 21-15TFH, 15-139N-99W
• 19926, Roller 21-16TFH, 26-139N-99W
• 19937, Paluck 21-17TFH, 27-139N-99W
• 19967, Talkington 21-40TFH, 30-140N-99W
• 20002, Praus 21-28TFH, 28-139N-97W
• 20028, Duletski 21-16TFH, 16-139N-99W
• 20064, Froehlich 21-28TFH, 28-140N-99W
• 20079, Obrigewitch 21-16TFH, 16-140N-99W

By their designation / name, they are all targeting the Three Forks Sanish, not the Lodgepole.

Whiting as a case before the NDIC in December, 2010, to establish eight (8) 1280-acre spacing units, not in Stark County, but in Golden Valley County, to target the Lodgepole. This is part of their Lewis and Clark prospect.