Slow Day in the Oil Patch (As Far As News Goes) -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

It's a quiet day in the oil patch, as far as news goes (daily activity report later this afternoon), so will post a note I started a few days ago. Nothing new for regular readers, but gives newbies an idea of what the Williston Basin has to offer.

With Michael Filloon talking about the Eagle Ford (South Texas) commanding higher lease bonuses due to multiple payzones, it is interesting to look at multiple payzones in the Williston Basin. Some examples, and, I agree, some of them may be one-offs, but there are plenty of other examples:

• 1171, 333, Petro-Hunt, CMNU B-205, spudded 8/25/1956; 754,319 bbls (no production since September, 2010, and now inactive. Interestingly enough, it appears that it was still producing about 300 bbls/month for years when it was taken off-line; something tells me we will see this well active again; a Madison well
• 14213, 3,357, Denbury Onshore (originally Trans Texas Gas), Dinsdale 2-4; IP test date 12/30/1996; to date this well has produced 4,757,010 bbls, currently producing about 5K/month; a Lodgepole well  
• 16059, 729, Petro-Hunt, USA 2D-3-1H, IP test date: 10/10/2006; to date this well has produced 1,148,681 bbls of oil; this well produced greater than 1,000 bbls/day as late as 2008, exceeding its IP; a Three Forks well; be sure to read the comment at this post;
• 5323, 917, True Oil, LLC, Burlington Northern 42-27, spudded 7/9/73; to date this well has produced 3,238,715 bbls of oil; a Madison well
• 2361, 44, Hess, Newburg-Spearfish-Charles Unit K-713, 777,234, spudded in 1959, still producing nicely, on a pump; a Spearfish well

To date the Madison has accounted for 49 percent of all the oil taken from North Dakota oil fields.  The Bakken will easily surpass the Madison over time, but like the Eagle Ford, there are multiple pay zones in the Williston Basin.

See cumulative oil production by formation, 2009, and 2010.