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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A History of Horizontal Drilling in the Tyler Formation -- Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA

At the link, click on the second story from the top at the right: a history of horizontal drilling in the Tyler Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota.

Talk about perfect timing, and a huge thank you to Don for sending me this link. I would have missed it.

It's perfect timing because I've been blogging about the Tyler off and on over the past few weeks.

COP: Profit up 66% Despite Production Drop --

Link here.

I lost the bubble on this, but wasn't COP the one who put out a warning just a week ago saying their numbers would be down 20 percent due to natural gas price debacle?  I'm sure it was COP, but I could be wrong.
ConocoPhillips' said Wednesday its fourth-quarter earnings rose 66% compared with a year earlier thanks to higher oil prices and despite a drop in production and weak refining profits.

The Houston-based company reported a profit $3.4 billion, or $2.56 a share, up from $2 billion, or $1.39 a share, a year earlier. Excluding gains on asset sales and other items, earnings were up at $2.02 a share from $1.32 a share. Adjusted earnings bested analysts' expectations of $1.76 a share thanks to better-than-anticipated exploration and production results and a smaller-than-estimated drop in refining profits, said Brian Youngberg, an analyst at Edward Jones.

Revenue rose 17% to $62.39 billion.
I guess we now know why Jim "Mad Money" Cramer keeps yelling his support for COP.

Huge Contract for McDermott -- Top Rigzone Story -- Absolutely Nothing To Do With The Bakken

Link here.

I've followed McDermott for a very long time; it's fun to read a story like this.
McDermott International has received a momentous contract, worth about $2 billion, from Inpex for the Ichthys gas/condensate field offshore Australia. The surf contract is the largest subsea contract the company has received to-date.

The Ichthys surf project includes engineering, procurement, construction, installation and pre-commissioning of production flowline systems, a MEG injection system, plus start-up condensate transfer and fuel gas transfer flowline systems, control systems, as well as other associated SURF elements in water depths of up to 902 feet (275 meters).
I can't recall the last time I heard/read the word "momentous" when reporting a contract. 

Ten (10) New Permits -- An Incredible Report -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Daily activity report, January 25, 2012 --

Operators: Petro-Hunt (2), Zenergy (2), G3 Operating (2), Liberty Resources, Hess, XTO, and Zavanna

Fields: East Fork, Murphy Creek, Blue Buttes, McGregory Buttes, Foreman Butte, Painted Woods, and Rosebud

G3 has two wildcats in Williams County.

Eight wells came off the confidential list; five were fracked.

Sixteen (16) wells were reported as plugged or producing, probably one of the longest lists in quite some time.

In addition, ten (10) more wells on DRL status reported IPs. All in all, an incredible report, including:
  • 20160, 2,173, BEXP, Field 18-19 3H, Williams County
  • 20845, 2,151, BEXP, Art 6-7 1H, Williams County
Hess reported some nice wells, as did CLR. They will be reported elsewhere.

But this was truly an incredible report, and typical of those going forward, I think. To recap:
  • 10 new permits
  • 8 wells came off the confidential list
  • 16 wells reported as plugged or producing
  • 10 wells on DRL status now completed and reporting IPs
That is a huge amount of activity by any standards.

Oh, by the way, "we" are back to 204 active rigs in North Dakota, tying the all-time high record.

Filloon: IPs and EURs -- The Bakken, The North Dakota, USA

Link here.

Mike Filloon provides more insight regarding this issue. The jury is still out but this is the third operator that I am aware of that says higher IPs correlate with higher EURs. (I remember someone sending me a comment that this was a "no-brainer," but smarter folks than "we" are still debating this issue.)

Other nuggets in this linked article:
  • The reason CLR tends to have lower 90-day IPs than other operators: CLR chokes back production.
  • CLR will increase the number of frack stages from 24.5 to 30
Based on what I've seen, 30 will be the new "norm"

Random Note on Recent CLR Completions -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Another site lists thirteen (13) recent CLR completions. Some of these have been previously reported.

Dunn County, North Dakota
Dvirnak 3-7H - 2,115 BOE per day
Dvirnak 2-7H - 2,094 BOE per day
Entzel 1-26H - 1,726 BOE per day
Pletan 3-18H - 1,526 BOE per day
Grande 1-18H - 1,514 BOE per day
Pletan 4-18H - 1,618 BOE per day
McKenzie County, North Dakota
Durham 1-2H - 2,003 BOE per day
Mack 4-2H - 1,585 BOE per day
Palmer 1-25H - 1,534 BOE per day
Patterson 1-13H - 1,498 BOE per day
Richland County, Montana
Jeannette 2-11H - 793 BOE per day
Harold 1-14H - 632 BOE per day
Thelma 2-14H - 510 BOE per day

Those are some nice IPs for CLR. 

Modular Builders -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Updates

July 8, 2012: Oil patch driving Montevideo builder in Willmer, MN: Friendship Homes. 

Original Post 

In case some folks didn't see this -- it was sent in as a comment:
Palomar Modular Buildings is a direct manufacturer that can turnkey an oilfield man camp on a prepared site in a matter of weeks.

As a commercial builder of prefabricated modular buildings, Palomar has experience constructing dormitories, laundry facilities, recreation halls, commercial kitchens, dining facilities and much more. These complexes can vary from smaller 20-50 person man camps to 500-1,000 person man camps. Palomar has experience working with oil field producers to customize facilities to meet their needs.

204

Not a record, but we are now back to the record number of active rigs drilling in North Dakota.

Who would have expected this, in the middle of the North Dakota winter?  Whoo-hoo.

New Record for the MillionDollarWay Blog?

I count at least fourteen (14) stand-alone posts so far today and umpteen updates of previously posted information.

For newbies, be sure to scroll down to catch all the new posts, and depending on how many posts/day your site shows, you may have to click on "older posts" to see the earlier posts of today.

It's an incredibly beautiful day in Boston. Actually Cambridge.

Notes To My Granddaughters

Coming up out of the "Harvard Square" subway/bus entrance, I was greeted by several Starbucks employees, offering passers-by buck-off coupons on bags of coffee. I grabbed three coupons and another four inside the coffee shop. In addition, for free, I was given a small cup of coffee from a portable coffee delivery system -- sort of looked like SCUBA gear on his back, and a rubber hose with a valve attached at the end. I think the whole interaction was less then 6 seconds and reminded me of a NASCAR fuel-only-no-tire-change pit stop. It was quite incredible.  Six seconds, a free cup of coffee, and three coupons.

[Oh, yes, now I see them from the second floor window; there they are, two guys decked out in black with a yellow Starbucks icon on their front -- advertising Blonde -- one of Starbucks new blends -- and on their backs are those large SCUBA-like contraptions I mentioned earlier. Now that I get a better look, they are like huge bongo drums (single) with earth-tone colors, reminding me of murals on the Four Bears Bridge near Parshall, near New Town, North Dakota.]

I would wager that the Harvard Square Starbucks is one of the chain's most profitable and they don't rest on their laurels. The line inside the coffee shop can be 20 people long, and you are served in less than two minutes. The line forms along a high narrow "table" allowing one to rest carried items for a moment.

I am not a Starbucks fan as a rule. But if they put up new coffee shops like this one, they have a new long-time customer.

I hear they are adding other beverages. As mentioned in an earlier post, this particular Starbucks comes as close to the Yorkshire coffee houses I loved (and love) so much.

As I walked up the stairs from the subway/bus at Harvard Square, I thought about all the forks in the road over the years. how we end up where we do.

The Million Dollar Way in Williston -- as I've written before on this blog -- was my way out of town, hitchhiking cross-country three times, and the start of many, many conventional trips in addition. There weren't many forks in the road in North Dakota. Smile. It's a pretty straight shot once you get out of Williston; the only "forks," I guess, were the four compass points from the center of Williston. North to Regina. South to Rapid City. East to New York City. West to ... okay, west to Montana, and then southwest to Los Angeles.

I could have written "north to Alaska," but I didn't.

Most of the forks in my road were notable for the women that happened to be standing, sitting, sleeping, working, playing, at those sites, with the forks being time-stamped-GPS coordinates.

Time-stamped is the operative word. If I went back to those GPS coordinates today, the women would no longer be standing, sitting, sleeping, working, or playing there. Perhaps one exception, Collette; I hope she is doing well in her adopted shire. One has died, the one that did the most for me at a most important point in my life. One continues to travel the road with me, albeit often taking separate side trips. With another woman,  a detour that will never be forgotten. We stopped just short of the cliff.

Three of the women changed my life in ways that cannot be summed up in a short post.

One woman did not change my life but she reminded me what life is all about. She invited me to run away to Morocco. But unlike Susan, I had already seen Morocco; and, like Susan, I was married.

Some of the women I never met in person: Emily Brontë, Virginia Woolf, Martha Gellhorn, and Kathleen Norris.

I was so stricken with Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, I typed the entire book in free verse. Martha Gellhorn was considered by The London Daily Telegraph, among others, to be one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century (cut and paste from Wiki).

The many women who crossed my path left incredibly long-lasting impressions and introduced me to sights and sounds, experiences and exclamations, I would not have experienced otherwise.

They all taught me so much.

One taught me something I have never, ever forgotten: "Write it down, look it up, do it now, and keep your patients out of the surgeon's hands."

Discussion Thread On Extent of the Bakken in Montana -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Link here.

Yes, unfortunately, Virginia, there is no Santa Claus.

And, unfortunately, Virginia, the Bakken thins out.

This thread includes a link to a USGS Fact Sheet dated April, 2008.

That report is linked somewhere on my site; probably in several places.

2008? Perhaps time for an updated assessment.

This is probably the best site you will ever find on the geology of the Bakken. Smile. And it's all free. 

First Thing I'm Gonna Do When I Get Back to the Bakken ---

Go out and stare at the new Baker Hughes supersite; it should be completed by now.

Link here for financial results.
Baker Hughes Incorporated announced adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) for the fourth quarter 2011 of $534 million, or $1.22 per diluted share. This excludes an after-tax charge of $220 million ($0.50 per diluted share) related to the impairment of certain trade names. This compares to $0.77 per diluted share for the fourth quarter 2010, and to adjusted net income of $1.18 per diluted share for the third quarter 2011.

Adjusted net income for the year 2011 was $1.84 billion or $4.20 per diluted share, compared to $2.06 per diluted share for the year 2010.

Net income attributable to Baker Hughes (a GAAP measure) for the fourth quarter 2011 was $314 million or $0.72 per diluted share, compared to $0.77 per diluted share for the fourth quarter 2010, and $1.61 per diluted share for the third quarter 2011. Net income attributable to Baker Hughes for the year 2011 was $1.74 billion or $3.97 per diluted share, compared to $2.06 per diluted share for the year 2010.
There's not much I hate to read more than long paragraphs of numbers; my eyes glaze over. Time to take a break. First this video.



Back to Black, Amy Winehouse

There is a girls' group song from the 60's that has the very same chords; I'm looking for it and I'll find it eventually, but for now, this will be one of the dots on that bunny trail:

He's a Rebel, The Crystals

I wonder if Amy's story might be a bit different had she had a "Phil Spector" producer. In hindsight, they were made for each other.

And if Amy Winehouse was taking us back to the 60's girls' groups, Norah Jones is a country/western singer. Subtle. Sublime.

Cold, Cold Heart, Norah Jones

For Investors: 2012 Bull Rally Almost Over -- Analyst Gives Two Reasons

Link here.

I have not read the story and won't be reading it.

I already know the two reasons. The reasons can be found here:
  • the first half of the president's speech last night
  • the second half of the president's speech last night
I no longer listen to presidential speeches from this administration, so if there was anything in the speech that might surprise me, let me know.

KOG: Speculation -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

And that's all it is, speculation.

Nothing at the link with any substance, but great headline: talk of a KOG buyout!

Williams Partners to Sell 7 Million Common Units at $63/Unit

Link here.

Some numbers rounded as is standard at this site.

I don't have time now, but investors interested in dividends, the oil play, pipelines, etc, you may want to go to the link and other associated links. Lots of stories being written on this one and related.

North Dakota State To Delay Some Leasing -- The Story Has No Legs -- Great, Great Political Move -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

You can always count on the Dickinson Press to give good copy.

The newspaper reports that state may delay leasing some state land.

This is a non-story, but a very, very smart political move.
Mike McEnroe of Bismarck, a member of The Wildlife Society, said leasing the lands would be contrary to an agreement struck between then Gov. Ed Schafer and North Dakota’s congressional delegation that became federal law in 1998.
Now, if only The Wildlife Society would talk about all the migratory birds, whooping cranes, and eagles that will be killed by wind turbines. Sometimes, what is not said/done, is more newsworthy that what is said/done.

Mike: tell me you don't support wind turbines!

Compare Hess' Production vs CLR Production Change Over Time

From Hess press release:
  • oil and gas production was 367K boepd 4Q11 vs 420K boepd 4Q10 -- say what?  Libya?
CLR
  • 80,000 boepd 4Q11; 34K 3Q11 -- say what? Bakken?
  • who dat dat drilled dat?


Fast and Furious -- Updating As Fast As Possible -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Earnings Central: where all the updates are going -- COP, HES, OXY, and more ...  COP beats estimates ... huge!  HES looks NOT SO good ..... Libya? I haven't read the report ... first notes ... will correct as time goes along ...

Zacks:
Hess’ third-quarter 2011 results were lower than expected with earnings per share of $1.11 per share considerably lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.40. The quarterly result was also below the adjusted year-earlier earnings of $1.31. The underperformance was mainly due to lower production realized in the reported quarter.
The company has a history of negative earnings surprises, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last 4 quarters. The company recorded a minimum surprise of negative 1.62% in first quarter 2011 to a maximum of negative 20.7% in third quarter 2011. On an average, the earnings surprise stood at negative 8.4%.
Great oppportunities to buy on pullbacks? Be advised of disclaimer; this is not an investment site. It is a friendly discussion among friends.

OXY:
Occidental Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday that its net income jumped 34.8 percent in the fourth quarter as it increased production while world oil prices rose.

The Los Angeles oil and gas company reported earnings of $1.63 billion, or $2.01 per share, for the final three months of 2011. That compares with $1.21 billion, or $1.49 per share, for the same part of 2010. Revenue rose 19.2 percent to $6.03 billion.

Analysts expected earnings of $1.94 per share on revenue of $5.47 billion, according to FactSet.
Occidental increased worldwide oil and gas production by 4.8 percent in the quarter to a company record of 748,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. 
What peak oil?

Bakken: Another Great Update -- Jobs Growth in North Dakota -- Spectacular -- Not My Word -- Take It From Others

Link here to CarpeDiem. com.
The state of North Dakota continued to lead the country in December with: a) the lowest state jobless rate at 3.3%, and b) the highest annual rate of employment growth in December at 5.7%, which also set a new all-time North Dakota record for the largest 12-month percentage employment increase since monthly records started back in 1990.  The 5.7% over-the-year percentage job gain for North Dakota in December was almost twice the 3% pace of job growth in Utah, the state with the second highest job growth in 2011.

Job growth in the state's booming oil industry was spectacular, with almost a 40% increase in mining jobs in 2011.   Further, North Dakota has nine counties with jobless rates at 2% or less for November, and one county - Williams County, at the epicenter of the Bakken oil region - with a jobless rate less than 1%.   
There is much more at the linked site.

Snowbirds On The Road -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Minnesota/South Dakota migratory birds reporting from New Mexico; followed US Highway 83 --

Their road report: 
From Minnesota and then to central South Dakota;  Hit US-83 headed south through Nebraska, Kansas.

Could not believe the number of wide load trucks heading north.  Most all had pilot cars and had big stuff.

One would have to assume it was headed to the Williston area. Anyway, arrived at our winter home in New Mexico, much warmer than northern Minnesota.
That's interesting about the "pilot cars."

We don't see many "pilot cars" in the Bakken, so what you saw there had to be really big.

Thank you for the report.

On the Road Again, Willie and Friends
If folks want a more traditional, studio version, let me know.

Investopedia's Eric Sprott: Bullish on Gold and Energy

Link here.

OXY and SLB mentioned.

The article is written for serious investors, certainly not my "cup of tea."

Bloomberg Article on The Bakken -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Link here.
The gravel road that borders Dave Hynek’s North Dakota farm is designed to carry 10 tractor- trailer trucks a day. In a recent 24-hour period, about 800 passed by.

Some are traveling 90 minutes west to Williston, where schools Superintendent Viola LaFontaine expects as many as 3,800 students this fall, about 57 percent more than her primary schools were built to hold.

North Dakota’s economy outpaced every other state in 2011, with the fastest growth in personal income, jobs and home prices, according to Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States, or BEES, index data. Yet the oil boom fueling the nation’s lowest unemployment rate also has a dark side. It’s pushing rural North Dakota’s housing, electric, water, police and emergency services to the breaking point.

COP, OXY, and HES Should Be Reporting Today

COP: before mkt open at 8:00 EST
HES: time not supplied; SeekingAlpha -- earnings preview

CLR: 80,000 BOPD Production; Increased Reserves by 40% -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Some numbers rounded as is the usual case for this site.

CLR press release.
Continental Resources, Inc.  reported production of 75,219 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boepd) for the fourth quarter of 2011, a 57 percent increase over production of 48,034 Boepd for the fourth quarter of 2010 and an increase of 13 percent over production in the third quarter of 2011. Crude oil accounted for 72 percent of Continental 's fourth quarter 2011 production.
Is 80,000 bopd a big deal? CLR's 3Q11 daily production ... drum roll ... 34,000 boepd

So, for me, going from 35,000 to 80,000 in one quarter -- yeah it's a big deal

For those may not remember:
"Two years ago we announced a five-year plan to triple production and proved reserves by year-end 2014. Since December 2009 , we've already doubled production," said Harold Hamm , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We're clearly ahead of plan due to better well performance and increased operating efficiency."