Patent Gate Oil Field Update -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

The Williston Basin really has a great history; many, many stories could probably be told.

The other day I saw a permit in Patent Gate oil field. That was the first time I had heard of the oil field, didn't pay any attention to it at the time, but somehow I thought of it again.

Six miles east and one mile north of Alexander is a 4-section oil field, the Patent Gate oil field. Driving into and out of Alexander on the north side on US-2, one cannot see that far to the east due to the rolling hills, but it's probably just beautiful farmland in the summer; snowy desert in the winter.

Right now (August 6, 2011) there is one new permit, confidential:

• 21191, 1,094, CLR, Berlain 1-30H/Leahy1-30H, Patent Gate, Bakken; t12/11; cum 73K 8/12;

There are two other producing wells in the field, one horizontal, and on vertical:

• 8439, Zavanna, Nygaard 1-19, first spudded in 1981; Red River and Madison formations; cumulative oil: 180,000 bbls; Madison is still producing a little; on a pump
• 9300, G3 Operating, Bertinuson 1-30, first spudded 1982; Red River and Madison formations; cumulative oil: 250,000 bbls; Madison still producing

There are three plugged and abandoned wells:

• 13407, Slawson, Bertinuson 11-30X, first spudded in 1992; Madison, Duperow formations; cumulative oil: 90,000 bbls
• 9689, XTO, Bertinuson 11-30, spudded in 1982; Duperow, Red River formations; cumulative oil: 303,726 bbls
• 13416, Columbus Energy, Bertinuson 1-31, Madison, Tyler formations; cumulative oil: 25,000 bbls; the Tyler was dry

You just get the feeling that with new technology and the right price for oil, some of those legacy formations have a lot more to give up.