Alger Field Update

NEWS

February 2, 2015: MDU sells some prime real estate in the Alger to Lime Rock Resources; the sale occurred during the worst possible time for MDU -- prices were slumping; MDU cancels five permits and Lime Rock Resources is reporting some incredible wells; MDU has repeatedly missed on the Bakken, beginning with the sale of the Cottonwood Field to Oasis, making Oasis what it is today

April 27, 2012: another great BEXP well --

• 21358, 3,863, BEXP, Clifford Bakke 26-35 2H, Mountrail, Alger

April 9, 2012: Hess planning a 12-well pad, but with another six wells per 640-acre spacing unit (1st and 2nd Three Forks benches) it takes it down to 36-acre downspacing.

March 20, 2012: more on that 12-well, $100 million pad.

March 20, 2012: Filloon hears a rumor that a six-well pad in the Alger will end up being a $100 million 12-wellpad. Currently, permits 21129 through 21134.

February 28, 2012: example of how busy the Alger field is right now!

December 28, 2011: BEXP reports three outstanding wells on a 4-well pad; the fourth well is still confidential.

November 23, 2011: BEXP permits for a 5-well pad in the Alger. This may be the first 5-well pad in the Bakken.

January 12, 2011: the daily activity report -- #19057, BEXP, Domaskin 30-31 1H, with an IP of 4,106.

May 26, 2010: BEXP announced two great wells today. One of them was in the Alger field: Jack Cvancara 19-18 1H, just one mile from BEXP's Sorenson 29-32 1H (see paragraph below).  "Jack" has the second highest IP, 5,035, for a Bakken well in the Williston Basin (to date), second only to his sister well, the Sorenson. The Alger field continues to surprise, continues to excite.

April 5, 2010: BEXP announces record initial flow -- 5,133 boepd for the Sorenson 29-32 1H, NWNW 29-155-92. My focus on individual oil fields began with the Alger when I anticipated excitement in this field; it appears that this excitement was well placed.

March 19, 2009:  BEXP canceled a couple of permits today, both in the Alger field, one in section 11 and one in section 5, both T155-N-92W.  I don't know anything more than that. Sometimes it means nothing more than submitting a new permit for the same acreage based on new information.

PERMITS

2019 (list complete as of April 14, 2020)
37451, conf, Hess, AN-Abrahamson-155-93-3019H-9, Alger,
37450, conf, Hess, AN-Abrahamson-155-93-3019H-4, Alger,
37449, conf, Hess, AN-Abrahamson-155-93-3019H-1, Alger,

2019 (list is complete)
36879, conf, Equinor, Jack Cvancara 19-18 XE 1TFH, Alger,
36878, conf, Equinor, Domaskin 30-31 4TFH, Alger,
36877, conf, Equinor, Jack Cvancara 19-18 8TFH, Alger,
36876, conf, Equinor, Domaskin 30-31 9H, Alger,
36875, conf, Equinor, Jack Cvancara 19-18 4H, Alger,
36874, conf, Equinor, Domaskin 30-31 XW 1H, Alger,
36873, conf, Equinor, Jack Cvancara 19-18 XW 1H, Alger,
36235, SI/NC, Whiting, Lindseth 11-1HU, Alger,


2017 (as of 4/17) 
33634, 1,016, Lime Resources, Sandy 18-19-2H, Alger, t11/17; cum 284K 2/20;

2016 (list is complete)
33012, 824, Oasis, Teal 5692 13-22H, Alger, t12/16; cum 217K 2/20;
32905, 1,984, Equinor/Statoil, Charlie Sorenson 17-8 XE 1H-R, Alger, t12/16; cum 237K 2/20;
32498, 866, Hess, EN-Rehak-LE-155-93-0718H-1, Alger, t12/17; cum 98K 2/20;

2015 (list is complete)
32140, 854, EOG, Ross 43-0915H, Alger, t2/17; cum 201K 2/20;

32139, conf, EOG, Ross 104-0915H, Alger,

32138, EOG,

32137, EOG,

32096, 888, Hess, EN-Cvancara -LE-155-93-1523H-2, Alger, t5/16; cum 193K 2/20;

31957, Hess,

31956, Hess,

31955, Hess,

31954, Hess,

31953, Hess,

31600, Hess,

31599, Hess,

31598, Hess,
31529, 1,099, Hess, EN-Skabo Trust-155-93-0631H-7, Alger, t11/17; cum 73K 1/19; off line 1/19; remains off line 2/20;
31528, loc, Hess, 
31527, loc, Hess,
31526, loc, Hess,
31230, loc, Statoil,
31039, loc, Sattoil,
31038, loc, Statoil,
31037, loc, Statoil,
31034, loc, Statoil,
31033, loc, Statoil,
31017, conf, Hess,
31016, conf, Hess,
31015, conf, Hess,
30699, conf, Statoil,
30698, conf, Statoil,
30678, conf, Statoil,
30677, conf, Statoil,
30676, conf, Statoil,
30644, conf, Statoil,
30456, conf, Statoil,
30455, conf, Statoil,



2014 (list is complete)
29886, 348, Hess, EN-Cvancara-155-93-1522H-10, Alger, t5/15; cum 73K 2/20;

29489, SI/NC, Statoil,

29488, SI/NC, Statoil,

29487, SI/NC, Statoil,

29486, SI/NC, Statoil,

29485, SI/NC, Statoil,

29484, SI/NC, Statoil,

29483, SI/NC, Statoil,

29482, 3,161, Equinor/Statoil, Charlie Sorenson 17-8 4H, Alger, t11/15; cum 301K 2/20;

29272, 733, Hess,

29271, 690, Hess,

29270, 948, Hess,

28733, 2,400, Statoil,

28598, 298, Hess,

28597, 514, Hess,

28596, 258, Hess,

28595, 357, Hess,

28469, 458, Hess, EN-Rehak-155-93-0718H-8, Alger, choked way back? 5/15; t4/15; cum 121K 2/20;

28468, 660, Hess,

28467, 217, Hess, EN-Rehak-155-93-0718H-6, t4/15; cum 3K 5/15; only 12 days of production; cum 158K 2/20;

28466, 686, Hess,

28067, 669, Hess,

28066, 850, Hess,

28065, 597, Hess,

27612, 603, Hess,

27611, 530, Hess,

27610, 800, Hess,

27609, 544, Hess,

27602, 1,677, Oasis,

27601, 502, Oasis,

27600, 1,260, Oasis,

27599, 1,754, Oasis,

27598, 1,158, Oasis,

27577, 2,741, Statoil,

27576, 447, Statoil,

27575, 2,474, Statoil,

2013 (list is complete)
27224, AB/IA/95, Oasis, TF 2nd bench, a poor well from the beginning; 12 stages, 1.8 million lbs on 7/26/14; 24 stages, 3.1 million lbs, 10/02/14
27223, 1,030, Oasis,
27222, 1,386, Oasis,
27221, 1,316, Oasis,
27220, 1,933, Oasis,
27219, 1,410, Oasis,
27020, PNC, Fidelity,
27006, 2,775, Statoil,
27005, 2,126, Statoil,
27004, 2,358, Statoil,
27003, 3,182, Statoil,
26987, 826, Hess,
26986, 910, Hess,
26985, 1,019, Hess,
26984, 700, Hess,
26973, PNC, Fidelity,
26972, PNC, Fidelity,
26971, 1,016, Statoil, 
26968, 1,307, Statoil, 
26967, 2,096, Statoil, 
26944, PNC, Fidelity,
26926, PNC, Fidelity,
26781, 1,071, Oasis,
26780, 1,835, Oasis,
26720, 660, Hess,
26719, 777, Hess,
26718, 648, Hess,
26656, dry, Statoil,
26655, 1,652, Statoil, 
26427, 991, Oasis,
26382, 331, Oasis,
26381, 723, Oasis,
26346, 2,384, Statoil, 
26345, 1,463, Statoil, 
26344, 1,896, Statoil, 
26299, 2,273, Oasis,
26298, 2,139, Oasis,
26185, 1,127, Oasis,
26184, 1,341, Oasis,
26183, 649, Oasis,
26180, 217, Oasis,
26179, 2,024, Oasis,
26178, 1,391, Oasis,
26037, 1,612, Oasis,
25687, 1,381, Oasis,
25686, 251, Oasis,
25576, 447, Hess,
25575, 493, Hess,
25574, 333, Hess,
25573, 2,612, Statoil, 
25572, 2,350, Statoil, 
25386, 1,142, Whiting,
25385, 899, Whiting,
25330, 1,695, Statoil/BEXP, 
25213, 1,451, Statoil/BEXP, 
25212, 1,712, Statoil/BEXP, 
25211, 1,951, Statoil/BEXP, 
25053, 1,836, Oasis,
25052, 1,558, Oasis,
24988, 3,306, Statoil/BEXP, 
24987, 2,912, Statoil/BEXP, 
24986, 3,087, Statoil/BEXP, 
24985, 1,831, Statoil/BEXP, 
24984, 2,154, Statoil/BEXP, 
24983, 2,238, Statoil/BEXP, 
24952, 2,765, Oasis,
24951, 1,644, Oasis,
24854, 2,101, Statoil/BEXP, 
24853, 2,279, Statoil/BEXP, 

2012
24511, 52, Lime Rock Resources, t4/13; cum 153K 2/20; MDU sold (some of) its Bakken assets to Lime Rock
24445, 515, Hess,
24444, 1,050, Hess,
24443, 831, Hess,
24442, 537, Hess,
24416, 2,855, Oasis,
24415, 1,770, Oasis,
24174, 2,004, Statoil,
24173, 2,771, Statoil,
24172, 1,572, XTO,
24004, 715, Hess,
24003, 757, Hess,
23905, 536, Lime Rock Resources, t4/13; cum 161K 2/20; MDU sold (some of) its Bakken assets to Lime Rock
23859, 2,909, Statoil,
23766, 1,940, Oasis,
23741, 1,794, Statoil,
23740, 2,311, Statoil, Jerome Anderson 15-10 6H, t4/13; cum 116K 8/14;
23675, 2,236, Statoil, Esther Hynek 10-11 6TFH, t6/13; cum 68K 8/14;
23674, 2,811, Statoil, Esther Hynek 10-11 7H, t6/13; cum 68K 8/14;
23566, 845, Whiting, Kjos14-13H, t10/12; cum 55K 8/14;
23530, 978, Oasis, Ginny H 5693 41-35T, t12/12; cum 92K 8/14;
23528, 1,874, Oasis, Bui Federal5693 44-27B, t12/12; cum 120K 8/14;
23527, 1,365, Oasis, Nguyen Federal 5693 44-27T, t12/12; cum 103K 8/14;
23434, 2,044, Statoil, Roger Sorenson 8-5 5H, t5/13; cum 85K 8/14;
23425, 1,299, Statoil, Roger Sorenson 8-5 6TFH, t4/13; cum 68K 8/14;
23286, 2,316, Statoil, Bures 20-29 4TFH, t9/13; cum 39K 8/14;
23285, 1,398, Statoil, Charlie Sorenson 17-83TFH, t9/13; cum 24K 8/14;
23203, loc, Oasis, a sundry form received by NDIC June 19, 2015 -- Oasis requests renewal of the permit
23196, 1,478, Statoil, Hospital 31-36 6TFH, t10/13; cum 26K 8/14;
23195, 2,232, Staoil, Hospital 31-36 3H, t10/13; cum 79K 8/14;
23194, 1,864, Statoil, Hospital 31-36 4TFH, t3/14; cum 23K 8/14;
23193, 3,171, Statoil, Hospital 31-36 5H, t10/13; cum 67K 8/14;
23068, 2,454, Statoil, Liffrig 29-30 5H, t12/12; cum 97K 8/14;
23067, 2,393, Statoil, Ross-Alger6-7 5H, t11/12; cum 117K 8/14;
22999, 2,201, Satoil, Jerome Anderson 10-15 5H, t10/12; cum 107K 8/14;
22916, 1,972, Statoil, Roger Sorenson 8-5 3H, t4/13; cum 77K 8/14;
22915, 1,136, Statoil, Roger Sorenson 8-5 2TFH, t4/13; cum 76K 8/14;
22883, 509, Whiting, Cvancara 21-14TFH, t11/12; cum 60K 8/14;
22882, 1,533, Whiting, Cvancara 21-14H, t10/12; cum 109K 8/14;
22805, 1,971, BEXP, Wright 4-33 2TFH, t6/13; cum 78K 8/14;
22797, 2,574, BEXP, Esther Hynek 10-11 2TFH, t7/13; cum 50K 8/14;
22796, 972, Hess, EN-Rehak 155-93-0718H-3, t9/12; cum 134K 8/14;
22795, 1,016, Hess, EN-Rehak 155-93-0718H-2, t9/12; cum 148K 8/14;
22794, 1,298, BEXP, Scha 33-34 2TFH, t1/13; cum67K 8/14;
22772, 968, Hess, EN-Skabo Trust 155-93-0631H-3, t12/12; cum 142K 8/14;
22771, 1,371, Hess, EN-Skabo Trust 155-93-0631H-2, t12/12; cum 178K 8/14;
22770, 701, Hess, EN-Dobrovolney-155-93-2128H-3, t12/12; cum 105K 8/14;
22769, 917, Hess, EN-Dobrovolny-155-93-2128H-2, t11/12; cum 129K 8/14;
22730, 2,235, Statoil/BEXP, Holm 9-4 3TFH, t2/13; cum 64K 8/14;
22729, 2,008, Statoil/BEXP, Alger State 16-21 2TFH, t3/13; cum 79K 8/14;
22713, 2,114, Statoil/BEXP, Alger State 16-21 4TFH, t11/12; cum 76K 8/14;
22712, 2,207, Statoil/BEXP, Holm 9-4 4H, t11/12; cum 92K 8/14;
22711, 2,599, Statoil/BEXP, Alger State 16-21 3H, t11/12; cum 105K 8/14;
22697, 1,875, Statoil/BEXP, Hospital 31-36 2TFH, t11/12; cum 82K 8/14;
22695, 2,042, Statoil/BEXP, Ross-Alger 6-7 4TFH, t11/12; cum 81K 8/14;
22659, 530, Whiting, Cvancara 12-14TFH, t9/12; cum 127K 2/20;
22646, 1,947, Statoil/BEXP, Jerome Anderson 10-15 4H, t11/12; cum 98K 8/14;
22645, 1,225, Statoil/BEXP, Jerome Anderson 10-15 3TFH, t11/12; cum 92K 8/14;
22644, 1,168, Statoil/BEXP, Jerome Anderson 15-10 2TFH, t4/13; cum 29K 8/14;
22606, 1,557, Statoil/BEXP, Scha 33-34 4TFH, t5/13; cum 62K 8/14;
22605, 2,628, Statoil/BEXP, Scha 33-34 3H, t106K 8/14;
22526, 1,628, Statoil/BEXP, Roger Sorenson 8-5 4TFH, t5/13; cum 57K 8/14;
22482, 1,696, Statoil/BEXP, Wright 4-33 3TFH, t9/12; cum 116K 8/14;
22481, 2,016, Statoil/BEXP, Wright 4-33 4H, t9/12; cum 120K 8/14;  
22461, 3,545, Statoil/BEXP, Liffrig 29-20 4H, t7/12; cum 205K 8/14;
22460, 1,625, Statoil/BEXP, Liffrig 29-20 3TFH, t11/12; cum 95K 8/14;
22459, 2,276, Equinor/Statoil/BEXP, Liffrig 29-20 2H, t11/12; cum 194K 2/20;
22404, 2,591, Statoil/BEXP, Esther Hynek 10-11 3H, t8/12; cum 137K 8/14;
22403, 2,093, Statoil/BEXP, Esther Hynek 10-11 4TFH, t8/12; cum 121K 8/14;
22381, 2,343, Equinor/Statoil/BEXP, Vachal 3-34 4TFH, Three Forks, 11 stages; 1 million lbs; no IP, cum 259K 2/20;
22380, 2.209, Statoil/BEXP, Vachal 3-34 3H, t10/12; cum 119K 8/14;
22368, 1,697, Statoil/BEXP, Ross-Alger 6-7 2TFH, t7/12; cum 96K 8/14;
22354, 741, EOG, Ross 36-1707H, t6/12; cum 169K 8/14;
22317, 1,818, Statoil/BEXP, Arvid Anderson 14-11 4TFH, t6/12; cum 114K 8/14;
22292, 1,754, Statoil/BEXP, Arvid Anderson 14-11 2TFH, t9/12; cum 79K 8/14;
22291, 2,650, Statoil/BEXP, Arvid Anderson 14-11 3H, t9/12; cum 135K 8/14;
22266, 1,207, Equinor/Statoil/BEXP, Panzer 22-23 2TFH, t1/13; cum 143K 2/20;

ALGER FIELD

I am spotlighting various oil fields in the Williston Oil Basin, a project I started in early 2010. I selected Alger Field as one of the first fields to spotlight because of its surprises.

Unbeknowst to me at the time I selected the Alger Field to spotlight was the bidding war for some acreage in the Alger. Click here for the thread: note that an entity called the Irish Oil and Gas Company has just gained control of 120 acres in the Alger Field for $7,300/acre which works out to $4.7 million/section. The 120 acres are in sections 11, 12 and 13, T155N-92W, where there are already two wells on confidential status, #18647, Fidelity, Anderson 11-13H; and #17392, BEXP, Anderson 1-11H. Quite a surprise. If this thread is accurate, this is quite incredible, perhaps the most incredible thing that has happened in the history of investing in the Bakken.] [UPDATE: March 19, 2010: the BEXP Anderson 1-11H permit (#17392)  was canceled, as was BEXP permit #17353, Olson 5-6 1H, both in the Alger.]

The Alger Field is in Mountrail County, the same county where the prolific Sanish and Parshall fields are located. It is located northwest of and not too far away from those two fields. In fact, the southeast corner of the Alger borders the Sanish. The southwest corner of the Alger borders Robinson Lake. The Alger Field, with 104 sections is a relatively small field; it is a rectangular field just west of Stanley, ND. The town of Ross, ND, is located in the northeast sector of the Alger Field.

It is one of my favorite fields for two reasons: a) it is full of surprises -- there have been some good wells and there's a lot of activity; and, b) I traveled (railroad, hitchhiking, driving) that area of North Dakota too many times to count -- US Highway 85 goes right through the middle of that field -- through Ross, and then through Stanley -- near the center of activity in the Bakken. Lots of great memories. All those  years of driving through Ross -- I never  had any idea how active this area would become.

It appears the acreage in the Alger is controlled by BEXP, Hess, and EOG, causing for some interesting head-on-head comparisons.

The current producing wells are a mixture of short laterals and long laterals.

______________________

Going from northeast quadrant to southeast quadrant (IPs are updated periodically):

17184: 639, EOG, Ross 2-03H, t9/08; cum 119K 8/14;
19854, 328, EOG, Ross 35-0331H, Alger, t11/11; cum 117K 8/14;
19793, 215, EOG, Ross 33-0434H, t4/11; cum 171K 8/14;
19794, 446, EOG, Ross 34-533H, Alger; s12/10; t6/11; cum 135K 8/14;
18310: 493, EOG, Ross 21-04H, t2/10; cum 99K 8/14;
17795: 233, EOG, Ross 3-04H, t4/09; cum 115K 8/14;
17526: 400, EOG, Ross 4-05H; Alger field; s3/09; t8/09; cum 155K 8/14;
18118: 285, EOG, Ross 12-06H; Alger field, s2/10; t5/10; cum 74K 8/14;
17531: 750, EOG, Ross 5-08H, t9/09; cum 153K 8/14;
19358: 698, EOG, Ross 22-07H, t12/10; cum 108K 8/14;
19679, 866, EOG, Ross 31-0806H, Alger, t6/11; cum 176K 8/14;
18444: 282,  EOG, Ross 100-09H, t3/10; cum 98K 8/14;
17950: 460, EOG, Ross 1-09H, t7/09; cum 113K 8/14;
18843: 554, EOG, Ross 18-10H, t6/10; cum 101K 8/14;
18819: 526, EOG, Ross 13-15H, t6/10; cum 109K 8/14;
20295, 184, EOG, Ross  28-1615H, Alger; 4-section spacing; t9/11; cum 90K 8/14;
19722, 847, EOG, Ross 29-1716H, t2/11; cum 118K 8/14;
19767, 390, EOG, Ross 32-1707H, t5/11; cum 142K 8/14;
20696, 323, Hess, EN-Meiers A-156-93-13H-1, t11/11; cum 36K 8/14;
16587 282: EOG, Ross 20-16H, t7/10; cum 100K 8/14;
16586: 537, EOG, Ross 7-17H, t7/09; cum 112K 8/14;
18024: 836. EOG, Ross 10-18H, t10/09; cum 95K 8/14;
18855 792, Oasis, Meiers 5692 11-19H, t2/12; cum 210K 8/14;
20202, 2,634, Oasis, Mallard 5692 21-20H, Alger, t8/11; cum 203K 8/14;
18763: 853, EOG, Ross 15-28H, t6/10; cum 167K 8/14;
18784: 3,070, BEXP, Ross-Alger 6-7 1-H, t6/10; cum 367K 8/14;

Town of Ross

18062: 795, EOG, Ross 11-27H, t7/10; cum 108K 8/14;
19560, 839, EOG, Ross 27-2728H, s11/10; t3/11; cum 159K 8/14;
18763, 853, EOG, Ross 15-28H, s4/10; t6/10; cum 167K 8/14;
17664: 267, Hess, RS-Anderson-156-92-3229-1, t2/09; cum 162K 8/14;
17572: 395, Hess, RS-Thompson-155-92-0112H-1, t12/08; cum 187K 8/14;
17792: 186, Hess, RS-State ND D-155-92-0203H-1, t4/09; cum 97K 8/14;
17401 (Canceled): NR, Lario, Sorenson 1-9H
17392 (Canceled): BEXP/Lario, Anderson 1-11H - canceled March 19, 2010
18647: 785, Fidelity, Anderson 11-13H, t9/10; cum 140K 8/14;
18981, 2,952, BEXP, Holm 9-4 1-H, t8/11; cum 204K 8/14;
19019; PNC, BEXP, Alger State 16-21 1-H
18547: 3,115, BEXP, Jerome Anderson 15-10 1-H, t3/10; cum 236K 8/14;
17165: 1,042, BEXP, Carkuff 22 1-H, t8/08; cum 186K 8/14;
16893: 368, BEXP, Bakke 23 1H, t2/08; cum 117K 8/14;
17359:1,220, Fidelity, Bakke 11-24H, t11/08; cum 177K 8/14;
17481: 892, BEXP, Adix 25 1-H, t10/08; cum 185K 8/14;
18896: 4,438, BEXP, Clifford Bakke 26-35 1-H, t10/10; cum 469K 8/14;
18156, PNC, Lario, Bakke 1-26H (that's correct, "Bakke"), t
17724: 2,021, BEXP, Strobeck 27-34 1-H, t7/09; cum 249K 8/14;
18628: 4,357,  BEXP, Jack Cvancara 19-18 1-H, t5/10; cum 332K 8/14;
19057: 4,106, BEXP, Domaskin 30-31 1-H, t10/10; cum 336K 8/14;
17355 3,909: BEXP, Cvancara 20 1-H, t 3/11; cum 238K 8/14;

BEXP will be putting a 5-well pad in this section: 20-155-92.


17351: 1,756, BEXP, Anderson 28-33 1-H, long lateral, t8/09; cum 412K 8/14;
18721,  PNC, BEXP, Evans 27-22 1-H
19036 (on top of 18721): 2,086, Oasis, Evans 5693 42-27H, t11/10; cum 221K 8/14;
18685,  PNC, Hess, RS-Panzer Farms-155-92-3229-1H
18686,  PNC, Hess, RS-Panzer Farms-155-92-3729H-3
18760, 2,789, BEXP, Brown 30-19 1-H, t4/11; cum 202K 8/14;


18654: 4,335, BEXP, Sorenson 29-32 1-H -- being contested by Hess, Feb 26, 2010 -- This well sits right between two other BEXP wells, but for some reason Hess is crying "foul." The two BEXP wells on either side of 18654 are 17355 and 18628; t4/10; cum 391K 8/14;

18685,  PNC, Hess, RS-PANZER FARMS-155-92- 3229H-1
18686,  PNC, Hess, RS-PANZER FARMS-155-92- 3229H-3

Going from northwest quadrant to southwest quadrant:

19097: 2,944, Oasis, Merritt 5693 11-24H, t10/10; cum 307K 8/14;
19407,  PNC, BEXP, Barstad 23-14 1-H
17477, 200, Oasis, Mell 44-21H, t12/08; cum 75K 8/14;
18371, 2,037, BEXP, Liffrig 29-30 1-H, t2/10; cum 228K 8/14;
18760, 2,789, BEXP, Brown 30-19 1-H, t4/11; cum 202K 8/14;
17018, 272, BEXP, Manitou State 36 1H, t6/08; cum 95K 8/14;
18466, 376, Oasis, Hynek 5693 42-35H, t5/10; cum 154K 8/14;
17378, 309, Hess, En-Hynek-155-93-0112H-1, t11/08; cum 100K 8/14;
16898, 282, BEXP, Hynek 2 1H, t1/08; cum 65K 8/14;
18744: 3,660, BEXP, Wright 4-33 1-H, t8/10; cum 242K 8/14;
19351, 1,529,  Hess, EN-Vachal-155-93-0532H-1, s3/11; t9/11; cum 215K 8/14;
19352, 1,290, Hess, EN-Vachal-155-93-0532H-2, t10/11; cum 241K 8/14;
19354,  loc, Hess, EN-Vachal-155-93-0532H-3
18848,  PNC,  BEXP, Charlie Sorenson 8-17 1-H
18677: 342, Hess, EN-Skabo Trust-155-93-0631H-1; t5/10; cum 131K 8/14;
18674 436: Hess, En-Rehak-155-93-0718H-1; t7/10; cum 202K 8/14;
18881, 1,693. BEXP, Esther Hynek 10-11 1-H, t4/11; cum 188K 8/14;
18566: 1,204, Whiting, Cvancara 11-14H, t11/10; cum 161K 8/14;
17389, 322, Hess, En-Cvancara-155-93-1522H-1, t10/08; cum 128K 8/14;
18229,  531, Hess, En-State B-155-93-1609H-1, t11/98; cum 192K 8/14;
18405: 225, Hess, EN-Dobrovolny-155-93-2128H-1, t3/10; cum 65K 8/14;

New Activity:
18706,  PNC, BEXP, NENW 32-156N-89W, Bangs 32-5 1-H
18712, 1,391, Slawson,  SESW 36-155N-92W, Athena 1-36H, s6/11; F; t8/11; cum 219K 8/14;


Hess "Orion Belt" -- in section 30-155-93

18838, 424, Hess, EN-Abrahamson-155-93-3019H-1, t7/10; cum 171K 8/14;
18839, 424, Hess, EN-Abrahamson-155-93-3019H-2, t10/10; cum 165K 8/14;
18840, 684, Hess, EN-Abrahamson-155-93-3019H-3, t12/10; cum 200K 8/14;

Little Knife Field Update

See news and updates below the results of the wells

2012 Permits

• 22201, loc, Hess, LK-Dolezal-145-97-0805H1
• 22204, loc, BR, Manchester 24-9MBH
• 22210, loc, BR, Concord 34-10MBH
• 22479, loc, Hess, LK-Hamilton 146-97-3526H-3
• 22480, loc, Hess, LK-Hamilton 146-97-3526H-2
• 22761, loc, OXY USA, Crosby Creek 1-19-18H-144-98
• 22798, loc, Hess, LK-Obrigewitch 146-97-3427H-2
• 22799, loc, LK-Dukart 145-97-0310H-2
• 22800, loc, LK-Obrigewitch 146-97-3427H-3
• 22802, loc, LK-Dukart 145-97-0310H-3
• 22803, loc, LK-Obrigewitch 146-97-3427H-4
• 22804, loc, LK-Dukart 145-97-0310H-4

2011 Permits

• 20256, 844, CLR, Marshall 1-13H, s2/11; 7/11; F; cum 43K 10/11
• 20261, 288, CLR, Taney 1-14H, s4/11; t8/11; F cum 13K 10/11
• 20357, 629, CLR, Fuller 1-2H, s5/11; t9/11; F; cum 19K 10/11
• 20363, conf, CLR, Edward 1-23H
• 20457, 869, Hess/Tracker, Hovden 15-1H,
• 20860, conf,  Petro-Hunt, Harman 144-97-5A-8-1H,
• 21044, 753, CLR, Catron 1-26H
• 22117, 884, Hess, M Elisabeth 15-1H,  
• 21454, conf, BR, Concord 44-10MBH,
• 21533, conf, Petro-Hunt, Marinenko 145-97-31D-30-1H,
• 21534, conf, Petro-Hunt, Zabolotny 144-98-3A-10-1H,
• 21574, PNC, BR, Manchester 14-9PNC,
• 21614, conf, BTA, 9215 JV-P Snow-B-1R,
• 21633, conf, Hess, LK-State A-145-98-0136H-1, 
• 21707, conf, BR, Keene 44-35MBH,
• 21708, conf, BR, Franklin 44-36MBH,
• 21816, DRL, Oxy USA, State Joe LOH 1-20-17H-143-98,
• 21857, conf, Hess, LK-Esther-146-97-3328H-1

2010 Permits

• 18572, PNC, Tracker, McCarthy 9-1H,
• 18576, 1,190, BR/Tracker, Concord 24-10H/Cottonwood 10-1H, s8/10; t2/11; F; cum 55K 10/11
• 18670, PNC, Tracker, Little Chase Creek 16-1H,
• 18675, 1,806, BR, Franklin 24-36H, s10/10; t1/11; cum 47K 10/11
• 18687, 667, BR, Keene 14-35H, s8/10; t6/11; cum 447 bbls (no typo) 10/11
• 18718, 1,348, Hess/Tracker, Crying Tree 8-1H, s6/10; t10/10; F; cum 95K 10/11
• 18731, 1,434, Hess/Tracker, Wing 15-1H, s4/10; t7/10; cum 116K 10/11
• 18747, 689, CLR, Hegler 2-13H, s3/10; t9/10; cum 87K 10/11
• 18748, 718, CLR, Arthur 2-12H, s3/10; t9/10; cum 82K 10/11
• 18755, 1,375, Hess/Tracker, Olson 3-1H, s4/10; t7/10; cum 93K 10/11
• 18975, 1,325, Hess/Tracker, Wing 9-1H, s5/10; t9/10; F; cum 89K 10/11
• 18976, 640, Hess/Traker, Bonnie Divide 16-1H, s4/11; cum 18K 10/11
• 18985, 1,556, Oxy USA/Anschutz, State Knopik 1-21-16H-144-97, s7/10; t1/11; F; cum 60K 10/11
• 19043, 314, BR, Manchester 34-9H, s6/10; t2/11; F; cum 17K
• 19146, 988, Hess/Tracker, Little Chase Creek 21-1H, s10/10; t2/11; F; cum 75k
• 19147, conf, Hess/Tracker, Edward 28-1H,
• 19269, 410, Sinclair, Porcupine 1-19H, s10/10; t9/11; F; cum 46K 10/11
• 19304, DRL, Sinclair, Crosby Creek 1-5H, s9/10
• 19430, 288, Oxy USA/Anschutz, Shuck 1-33-28H-144-97; s10/10; t5/11; F; cum 15K 10/11
• 19520, 1,038, Sinclair, Hovden Federal 1-20H, s11/10; t3/11; F; cum 50K 10/11
• 19549, conf, CLR, Lazorenko 1-2H,
• 19828, 404, Hess/Tracker, Kostelnak 28-1H, s12/10; t4/11; F cum 50K 10/11

Update

June 20, 2021: this is a long, narrow oil field, running 32 miles from north to south, and average about eight miles (eight sections) wide. One would assume the geology is very similar throughout any individual field; in this case, I really have trouble accepting that. On another note, this field is in the vicinity of some great fields, but the Little Knife seems, so far, not be be all that great, and on top of that, not much activity to date. There was a lot of activity in this field early in the Bakken boom but it seemed to go quiet fairly quickly. 

May 4, 2012: in the daily activity report -- Hess issued permits for a 6 well pad in section 22-146-97 --

There is another producing well in this section:

18731, 1,434, Hess/Tracker, Wing 15-1H, t7/10; cum 136K 3/12; 

April 22, 2012: random look at a Sinclair well in the Little Knife oil field (Porcupine)

April 22, 2012: a 6-well pad for Hess in Little Knife oil field

December 28, 2011: random look at more Madison wells in the Little Knife oil field.

December 23, 2011: random look at some Madison wells in the Little Knife oil field.

Original Post

The Little Knife field is a fairly large field in North Dakota: 214 sections. It is rectangular, running north to south. There are no "major" cities inside this field; it is southwest of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The nearest town is Killdeer about six miles east; Killdeer is at about the center of north-south line of the Little Knife field.

If one divides the field into thirds, the southernmost third has historically been the most active -- that's where a slew of conventional wells are still producing oil. During the most recent "Bakken" boom, the Little Knife has been fairly active. Most of the activity is in the northern third and the southern third. The middle third is relatively free of activity.

There is an Orion Belt in the Little Knife (a CLR Eco-Pad: four wells running east-west on one pad). Click here for the results of the Arthur-Hegler Eco-Pad. It should be noted that Harold Hamm stated that production was being restricted on these wells.

Going from north to south, here is the activity by file (permit) number. Unless otherwise stated, the wells are long laterals (2 sections):

(P) = Producing
(C) = Confidential
NR = IP not reported
(BR) = before I started keeping records

________________

17715 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Hay Dragon 34-1H, 1,030; cum 146K 10/11
17881 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Erickson 11-1H, 1,246; cum 121K 10/11
17515 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Quilliam 14-1H, 350, cum 51K 10/11
17829 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Alwin 13-1H, 1,058, cum 142K 10/11
18576 (C) -- BR/Tracker, Cottonwood 10-1H, 1,190, cum 55K
18576 (new permit/new operator) -- BR, Concord 24-10H (was Tracker's Cottonwood)

18572 (PNC) -- Tracker, McCarthy 9-1H, offset 316 feet from 18670
18670 (PNC -- Tracker, Little Chase Creek 16-1H

18675 (C) -- BR, Franklin 24-36H, 1,806; cum 47K 10/11
17721 (P) -- Tracker, Olson 34-1H, 170

18515 (C) -- CLR, Hegler 1-13T, 418; cum 54K 10/11
18513 (C) -- CLR, Arthur 2-12T, 714; cum 52K 10/11

17231 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Trotter 25-1H, 240; cum 82K 10/11
18227 -- Hess/Tracker, Obrigewitch 34-1H, 116*; cum 77K 10/11
17644 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, 204; cum 48K 10/11; F
18450 -  Hess/Tracker, Lind 2-1H; 1,049, cum 85K 10/11
17980 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Dukart 3-1H, NR; 292; cum 34K 10/11
18276 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Obrigewitch 4-1H; 962; cum 92K 10/11
18334 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, Danielle 12-1H; 1,343, cum 93K 10/11
18049 PNC -- Hess/Tracker, Kukla 15-1H;
17645 (P) --Hess/Tracker, 33, Glovatsky 21-1H; cum 86K
15934 (P) -- Petro-Hunt, 82, Zabolotny 4D-4-2H, short lateral; cum 13K 10/11
16842 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, 201; cum 61K 10/11
17541 (P) -- Hess/Tracker, 172; cum 53K 10/11
15051 (P) -- Petro-Hunt, Radloff 21D-4-2H, 40; Madison, cum 98K 10/11
15057 (P) -- BTA, 9215 JV-P Snow E 1-H, 35; Madison, cum 88K 10/11
14849 (P) -- BTA, 9215 JV-P Snow D 1H, 103, Madison, cum 376K 101/11
14708 (P) -- BTA; 9215 JV-P Snow-B-1H, 38, cum 424K 10/11
14817 (P) -- BTA; 9215 JV-P Snow C 1H, 62; cum 259K 10/11


New permits granted in Little Knife after the above was posted (for results, see above):
18718, Hess/Tracker, Crying Tree 8-1H,1,348; 95K 10/11
18747, CLR, Hegler 2-13H, new permit, 23 Feb 10
18748, CLR, Arthur 2-12H, new permit, 23 Feb 10; rig on site
18755, Tracker, Olson 3-1H, new permit, 26 Feb 10
*18227: IP - 116; in January, 2010, no production was reported
18957, Tracker, Wing 9-1H, new permit, 30 Apr 10
18976, Tracker, Bonnie Divide 16-1H, new permit, 30 Apr 10
18985, Anschutz, State Knopik 1-21-16H-144-97, new permit, May 4, 2010
19043, BR, Manchester 34-9H, new permit, May 18, 2010

Is the Bakken over-hyped?

December 25, 2011: America's biggest boomtown -- Williston, ND -- CNNMoney. 

• Average salary of a North Dakta oil worker: $106,000
• Increase in oil rigs in North Dakota since 2005: 300%
• Unemployment rate in Williston, ND: 1.3%
• Surface area of the Bakken: 15,000 square miles
• Hourly pay of fast food restaurants: $15
• A stripper's earnings in one night: $2,000

December 25, 2011: Active drilling rigs in ND hits a record this year -- 204; ND on trajectory to jump to #2 in oil production among US states (ahead of California and Alaska; 2nd only to Texas). $2 billion into ND economy every month.

August 18, 2011: North Dakota production will CRUSH previous record.

January 20, 2011: CLR tells ND bankers 4 - 5 times more oil in the Bakken/Three Forks than official estimates.

January 15, 2011: 168 active rigs. High to date.

January 4, 2011: North Dakota could surpass Alaska in oil production -- Bloomberg.

May 18, 2010: CLR/CEO (Harold Hamm) opines that the Bakken Pool (Bakken formations and TFS formations) has in excess of 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil; official estimates are around 3 billion for the Bakken and 2 billion for the TFS. Presentation, May 18, 2010.

May 14, 2010: North Dakota could surpass California in daily production. 

April 12, 2010: Market Analysis.

Bismarck/Mandan news: rigs may set records.

1981: 148 rigs in North Dakota. April, 2010: 107 rigs 

Probably won't hit 148 this summer due to lack of water for fracking, housing for workers

Another 20 to 25 rigs on their way into ND once load restrictions (winter) are lifted

Drillers currently pumping about 2% of estimated reserves

Companies talking about pumping as much as 15% of estimated reserves. March 12, 2010

April 23, 2010: USA Today has front-page story on growing numbers of "residents"in North Dakota and effect on the national census.  Click here for new posting, same subject.

February 28, 2010: "Larry" on the Bakken Shale Discussion Board, February 28, 2010, posted the following: the best location in the Bakken (currently) is Austin township; currently there are 35 wells in that township and each well has averaged $18 million in oil production at the wellhead. Austin township has generated $630 million in gross revenue, and continues to generate $30 million monthly. 

February 24, 2010: Whether or not the Bakken is over-hyped is in the eyes of the beholder, and it depends on one's perspective. Obviously, for these Native Americans, the Bakken is not over-hyped!

February 13, 2010: Industry experts say the drilling program for the Bakken will last through 2030 and production from the Bakken will continue through 2100.

February 7, 2010: Someone (Irish Oil and Gas) just paid the equivalent of $4.7 million/section (640 acres) for the mineral rights in 120 acres in sections 11, 12, and 13 in T155N-92W. For perspective, $600/acre ($384,000) was a top price not too long ago.

137,000 barrels of oil from two wells in first 90 days of combined operation.

Look at all the wells reported on Feb 8, 2010, new wells reporting.  EOG has a couple of wells which EACH, at $60/bbl, produced almost $4 million worth of oil at the wellhead in 120 days or less. That will almost cover the cost of drilling the well; CLR opines that wells in the Bakken will last into 2029 (yes, at a declining rate, of course). See bullet above, stating that industry experts say the drilling program will extend through 2030.

Click here for my page for "monster wells" in the Bakken.

EOG opines that total recovery (EUR) from their "core" wells in the Parshall oil field might be 700,000 barrels (at $60/bbl = $42 million). It cost about $6 million to drill a horizontal well in 2009. [Update: EUR has now been increased; oil is at $80/bbl; and cost of drilling is dropping.]

Back in 2009, the CLR/CEO hedged some of his oil sales for January, 2010, at $80/barrel.

Continental Resources (CLR) opines that dual laterals targeting two different formations could result in an additional 400,000 barrels over the lifetime of some of these Bakken wells. 400K barrels at $60/bbl = $24 million. $42 million + $24 million = $66 million for a well that cost about $6 million to drill. In the big scheme of things, production costs are minimal once the well starts flowing.

Many producers state that the cost of oil extraction from the Bakken in 2009 was about $15/bbl. EOG says simply that "at $40/bbl, the Bakken is robust."

There are about 4,000 active wells in North Dakota. The current boom in the Bakken in North Dakota began in 2006. How many permits were granted in the years since 2006, and how many of those permits have been drilled?

• 2006: 422 permits; 195 have been drilled
• 2007: 497 permits; 336 have been drilled
• 2008: 917 permits; 728 have been drilled
• 2009: 627 permits; 176 have been drilled
• 2010: 1,680 permits; 436 have been drilled

Many of the 2008 permits were drilled in 2009, and many of the 2009 permits are yet to be drilled. If there are 4,000 active rigs in North Dakota, 1,344 were drilled during this current boom.  A few permits have been canceled or have expired. The backlog of wells to be drilled by the end of 2009: about 1100.

As of February 12, 2010 (the 43rd day of the year), NDIC had granted 148 new permits since the beginning of the year. That trends to 1,256 permits.

What about the number of active rigs in North Dakota? Well, this should suggest something:

November, 2008: 95 rigs (price of oil peaked at $150/bbl)
May, 2009: 33 rigs (price of oil had dropped significantly)
Feb, 2010: 94 rigs (price of oil in trading range, $70 - $80)

Capacity of pipeline and railroad tanker system to transport oil out of North Dakota:

2008: 200,000 bbls/day (if I remember correctly)
2010: 400,000 bbls/day (estimate)

On February 5, 2010, there were 757 wells on the "confidential list." Approximately 50 wells come off the confidential list each month for the next six months.

By mid-2010, there should be about 100 active rigs in North Dakota. Although some producers say they can drill a well in less than 20 days, I still use as a rule of thumb that one rig will drill about 10 wells/year. One needs to take into account time to move the rig, prepare it for drilling,  bring it down once it is complete, etc. 100 active rigs x 10 wells/year/rig = 1,000 rigs  in 2010. [Wow, that estimate was off; by mid-2010, the active rig count was up to 140, ending the year at 166.]

Producers use a series of drilling rigs: one rig for the first few days to get through the "soft" stuff, and then the "big" rig to drill to total depth (TD). 

It appears there are others out there who are as irrationally exuberant as I am about the Bakken.

Udpated: May 14, 2010 (not all data was updated)

Communication Between Formations?

Continental Resources (CLR) has opined that the Bakken formation is a separate formation from the Three Forks Sanish which sits directly below the Bakken.


To test this theory, CLR drilled two wells offset at the surface by 316 feet, the Mathistad 1-35H and the Mathistad 2-35H in 2009 in coordination (and authorized) by the NDIC.

Mathistad #1 targeted the Three Fork Sanish and its permit is #16983.

Mathistad #2 targeted the Middle Bakken and its permit is #18013.

In fact, there was communication between the two fracks (between the two formations), but CLR says the communication can be eliminated by separating the wells a nominal distance. Click here for the report.  There was one abbreviation (acronym) that was not explained in the report: BHP stands for bottom hole pressure, which is a data point to determine flow rate.


These were the results: "The results showed that the #2 fraced into the #1 wellbore in all frac stages but, even with the well-to-well communication, the #2 is estimated to recover an additional 400 [thousand barrels of oil] over the base case of only drilling and producing the #1. Pressures measured in the #1 showed communication from at least 13 of the 14 stages and fluid tracers recovered in the #1 production showed the frac fluid from all 14 of the #2 stages."

However, within the body of the report: "Optimum spacing was evaluated by using the model....[T]he model shows recovery is maximized and still economic by drilling wells 1320 feet apart in the zone and 660 feet apart in different zones. This would allow drilling 7 wells per 1280-acre spacing unit if 660-foot setbacks from the lease line are used. Unusually large hydraulic fractures or natural fractures could cause some localized pressure depletion in new infill wells."


The final paragraph: "Initial pressure....data...shows different ranges of communication. One well showed no communication between zones with an initial reservoir pressure of 7250 psi (pounds per square inch). Another showed the Bakken had been communicating to the TFS but only along a portion of the lateral. In this case the second well showed pressure increasing even while the first well was still producing. This pressure behavior indicates areas of higher pressure were crossflowing along the lateral repressuring the portion of the lateral in the Middle Bakken that had been partially depleted."


Comment: it was my impression that the public release suggested this test confirmed these two formations were separate. It appears there is more to the story, based on this report. 

************************

For The Archives

PDF press release from CLR, August 6, 2009.