Will Ten Walking Rigs Be Enough?

How about them high-powered walking rigs coming up from San Antonio? Someone noted that CLR is getting ready to drill a number of 2560-acre spacing units.

For newbies: the horizontals are not going to underlie 4 linear sections (4 miles long). They will be configured in such a way that one well drilling two sections south (or west) will be paired with another well drilling two sections north (or east). Even though each horizontal will only "drain" 1280 acres, the pair of wells will be "draining" a 2560-acre spacing unit (at least that's how I understand it; and I could be wrong, but the horizontals are not going out four miles)

The May, 2012, NDIC hearing dockets was notable for many 2560-acre spacing units. For example:

• 17841, CLR, Sauk-Bakken, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; multiple wells; Williams
• 17842, CLR, Border and Stoneview-Bakken; create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; multiple wells; Divide
• 17562, cont'd, CLR, Baker and Indian Hill-Bakken, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; multiple wells; McKenzie County
• 17563, cont'd, CLR, Indian Hill-Bakken, create a 2560-acre unit; multiple wells; McKenzie/Wms
• 17565, cont'd, CLR, Squires-Bakken, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; multiple wells; Wms
• 17566, cont'd, CLR, Hebron-Bakken, create an overlapping 1280-acre unit; create 2 overlapping 2560-acre units; create an overlapping 2240-acre unit; multiple wells from each; Williams Co
• 17567, cont'd, CLR, Camp-Bakken, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; multiple wells; McKenzie
• 17568, cont'd, CLR, Crazy Man Creek-Bakken, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; and, create an overlapping 2880-acre unit; multiple wells; McKenzie, Williams Counties
• 17953, CLR, Stoneview-Bakken, 8 wells each, 3 existing overlapping 2560-acre units;  24 wells; Divide, Williams 
• 17954, CLR, Sauk-Bakken, 8 wells on an existing overlapping 2560-acre unit; Williams
• 17956, CLR, Hamlet-Bakken, 10 wells on an existing overlapping 2560-acre unit; Divide, Wms
• 18101: CLR, Rattlesnake-Bakken Pool, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit, multiple wells; Dunn
• 18102: CLR, Jim Creek-Bakken Pool, creat two overlapping 2560-acre units; multiple wells; Dunn

But other drillers are about to do the same:

• 17781, SM Energy, Siverston-Bakken, establish an overlapping 2560-acre unit, 1 or more wells; and, 2 wells on each of 2 existing 1280-acre units, McKenzie
• 17785, KOG, Twin Buttes-Bakken, designate 1 2560-acre unit, and 3 1280 acre units; 6 wells on some of the units; 4 wells on other units including the 2560-acre unit
• 17830, QEP, Heart Butte-Bakken,  a) convert 2 640-acre units to 1 1280-acre unit; 2 wells; b) modify a 1280-acre unit from allowing up to 7 wells to allowing 2 wells; c) creating 1 overlapping 2560-acre unit, allowing up to 12 wells;
• 17838, Zenergy, Foreman Butte-Bakken, establish 16 new 1280-acre units; 8 wells each; 128 wells; McKenzie; (not a 2560-acre spacing unit, but look at all those wells from that May docket)

From the April dockets:

• 17445, BR, establish 3 overlapping 2560-acre units, one or more hz wells between the existing 1280-acre units; Keene-Bakken/Three Forks, McKenzie
• 17446, BR, establish a 2560-acre unit, 14 wells; up to 7 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Sand Creek-Bakken, McKenzie

Back in March, 2012, the NDIC commission proposed these changes (I do not know the results):

• 12244: Commission; 2560-acre spacing for all future BAKKEN POOL horizontal drilling
• 12245: Commission; 1280-acre spacing for standup and / or laydown horizontal drilling
• 12246: Commission; eliminate/reduce the setbacks currently established for heel and toe of horizontal wells in ND