Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Russia -- Pipeline -- and the Kurds -- Nothing To Do With The Bakken

This is truly a story that has huge implications, and helps understand some of the "dots" in the Syrian war.

Deep beneath "Damascus volcano" and "the battle of Aleppo," the tectonic plates of the global energy chessboard keep on rumbling. Beyond the tragedy and grief of civil war, Syria is also a Pipelineistan power play.

More than a year ago, a $10 billion Pipelineistan deal was clinched between Iran, Iraq, and Syria for a natural gas pipeline to be built by 2016 from Iran's giant South Pars field, traversing Iraq and Syria, with a possible extension to Lebanon. Key export target market: Europe.

During the past 12 months, with Syria plunged into civil war, there was no pipeline talk. Up until now. The European Union's supreme paranoia is to become a hostage of Russia's Gazprom. The Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline would be essential to diversify Europe's energy supplies away from Russia.

It gets more complicated.

Turkey happens to be Gazprom's second-largest customer. The whole Turkish energy security architecture depends on gas from Russia - and Iran. Turkey dreams of becoming the new China, configuring Anatolia as the ultimate Pipelineistan strategic crossroads for the export of Russian, Caspian-Central Asian, Iraqi and Iranian oil and gas to Europe.

Try to bypass Ankara in this game, and you're in trouble. Until virtually yesterday, Ankara was advising Damascus to reform - and fast.

Turkey did not want chaos in Syria. Now Turkey is feeding chaos in Syria. Let's examine one of the key possible reasons.

Go to the link to see how the Kurds fit into all this. I hope this linked story does not go into archives. It is a very, very interesting story. 

Nineteen (19) More Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA; BEXP With Two Nice Wells; Petro-Hunt WIth Another 6-Well Pad

RBN Energy: building out the NGL infrastructure in the northeast. This is an interesting bit of trivia. The Marcellus is growing by leaps and bounds. There is only one natural gas play that is projected to grow faster: the Utica. 

Bakken Operations

Wells coming off confidential list Wednesday:

• 19738, 378, Triangle, Frederick James 149-101-3-10-1H, Antelope Creek, t7/12; cum 22K 8/12;
• 20885, 359, CLR, Christopherson 156-99-2-11-1H, East Fork, t6/12; cum 36K 8/12;
• 21249, drl, CLR, Strid 3-26H, Lindahl,
• 22227, 1,144, XTO, Odegaard State 21X-16B, Midway, t6/12; cum 36K 8/12;

Active rigs: 189, steady (down one)

Nineteen (19) more permits --

• Operators: Petro-Hunt (6), CLR (2), MRO (2), EOG (2), American Eagle (2), Crescent Point (2), Whiting, GMX Resources, Fidelity, and two salt-water disposal wells
• Fields:Bear Creek (Dunn), Ellisville (Williams), Eagle Nest (Dunn), Colgan (Divide), St Anthony (Dunn), Whiskey Joe (Billings), Stanley (Mountrail), Bailey (Dunn), Parshall (Mountrail), Deep Water Creek Bay (McLean)

Petro-Hunt seems to be on a roll; see earlier post. The permits above are for a 6-well pad. Petro-Hunt has a nice-looking 4-well pad just to the northeast if the first two wells are any indication.

Comments: No new Newfield permits; and no OXY USA permits; Crescent Point Energy has a permit for a wildcat in Williams County

Wells coming off the confidential list were reported earlier. See sidebar at the right.

Several producing wells completed, including:

• 18281, 205, ERF, Red Tipped Arrow 33-11H, Spotted Horn, t11/10; cum 45K 8/12;
• 18968, 875, Petro-Hunt, Fort Berthold 148-95-22D-15-1H, Eagle Nest, t9/12; cum --
• 18969, 802, Petro-Hunt, Fort Berthold 148-95-27A-34-1H, Wildcat, t9/12; cum --
• 20520, 1,056, XTO, Bang Federal 21X-19F, Lost Bridge, t7/12; cum 14K 8/12;
• 21266, 494, SM Energy, Dahl 15-11H, Baker, t1/12; cum 36k 8/12/
• 21484, 1,483, BR, Bartlett 31-16TFH, Murphy Creek, t9/12; cum --
• 21485, 1,283, BR, Bartlett 21-16MBH, Murphy Creek, t912; cum --
• 21486, 458, BR, Bartlett 21-16TFH, t9/12; cum --
• 21709, 2,066, BEXP, Borsheim Trust 33-28 3H, Todd, t8/12; cum 9K 8/12;
• 21796, 791, SM Energy, Dahl Federal 2-15H, Baker, t5/12; cum 50K 8/12;
• 21918, 321, Crescent Point, CPEUSC Fantuz 13-4-158N-100W, Wildcat, t8/12; cum 11K 8/12;
• 21919, 629, Crescent Point, CPEUSC DeFrance 12-1-158N-100W, Wildcat, t8/12; cum 12K 8/12;
• 22123, 128, Corinthian Exploration, Corinthian Backman 13-26 1H, North Souris, a Spearfish well; t5/12; cum 9K 8/12;
• 22453, 2,622, BEXP, Marcia 3-10 2TFH, Last Chance, t8/12; cum 7K 8/12;

Something I have not seen before, seven dry holes:

• 18719, dry, Samson Resources, Holm State 16-162-98H, a Lodgepole well;
• 19583, dry, Hess, EN-Reitch-157-94-3229H-3, Pleasant Valley, Bakken;
• 19702, dry, Hess, EN-Charles Wood-157-94 1720H-2, Tioga, Bakken;
• 19703, dry, Hess, EN-Lokken-157-95-0805H-3, Tioga, Bakken,
• 19704, dry, Hess, EN-Charles Wood-157-94 1720H-3, Tioga, Bakken,
• 21160, dry, Hess, GO-Biwer-157-98-2635H-1TA, Oliver, Bakken,
• 22098, dry, Triangle, Larson 149-100-9-4-4H, Ellsworth, Bakken, reading the well file quickly, it sounds like there were four wells on this pad (1H, 2H, 3H, and 4H; the first three drilled to depth; the company asked to plug this well waiting to see if 2H is productive for the Three Forks; 4H is a Three Forks well also);

I looked at just one of the Hess wells that was dry; that one will be re-entered; Hess says their drilling plan changed; so, my hunch is there is yet more to follow regarding these "dry" wells. Follow the discussion at the Bakken Shale Discussion Group. Maybe. 

Twenty-five wells listed as producing or plugged. 

"The Red Queen" Rebuttal

Do you remember the "Red Queen" story a couple of weeks ago in The Oil Drum?

In a two-part series, Mike Filloon offers a rebuttal.

Part I.

Part II.

Some Incredible Graphics of the Bakken

Link here to CarpeDiem.com.

Great Britain to Lower Taxes for Development of Shale Gas

Link here, again through CarpeDiem.com.

Britain will seek to open up its potential reserves of the emerging but controversial fuel, shale gas, with a "generous new tax regime", the Chancellor has revealed, in a promise which has dismayed environmentalists.

The pledge reinforced George Osborne's aim of making a "dash for gas" the main thrust of Britain's future energy policy, raising more concerns that the Coalition was moving away from its promise of being the "greenest government ever."

The bigger question: whatever happened to the London Wind Array, off the Thames?

Unintended Consequences of the 29-Hour Work Week

Updates

October 10, 2012: small group of unionized Wal-Mart workers stage publicity stunt/strike drawing attention to their wages. Wait until ObamaCare kicks in and Wal-Mart moves to 29-hour work weeks (see below). Not only will overall pay go down, but they won't qualify for ObamaCare.  Oh, by the way, Wal-Mart's average full-time pay is $5.00 greater than the federal minimum wage:

[Wal-Mart's] full-time average wage is $12.54 an hour, which is $5 above the federal minimum wage.” He said that 300,000 Wal-Mart employees had worked at the company for more than 10 years and that Wal-Mart’s turnover rate was lower than the industry average.  

For the record, federal minimum wage is $7.25; the state with the highest rate: Oregon, at $8.80, which rises with inflation; it was increased by 30 cents in January, 2012 (I thought inflation was tamed).

October 9, 2012: link to Orlando Sentinel with same story below regarding Olive Garden, Red Lobster

Original Post

On Saturday, September 22, 2012, I posted the following:

Harley Davidson embraces flexible production; google Hog maker Harley gets lean; I don't think the article references that under the ObamaCare legislation, a 30-hour work week is now considered full-time. If that stands (the 30-hour work week), companies will figure out ways to get around it; part-time workers will work even fewer hours. Unintended consequences.

They've already started. From CarpeDiem:

Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants are putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting the impact of looming health coverage requirements. The test entails increasing the number of workers on part-time status, meaning they work fewer than 30 hours a week. Under the new health care act, companies will be required to provide health care to full-time employees by 2014, which would significantly boost labor costs for businesses. 

Incredible. So the college student, or senior, or whoever, looking to work more than 30 hours to make ends meet, is now being told that a) no, you won't work 30 weeks; and, b) oh, by the way, since you are not working 30 hours, you will not qualify for ObamaCare. At least not "through" us.

By the way, with unemployment somewhere between 7.8% and 30% (for teenagers), there should be an adequate pool from which to draw wait-staff. They might have to "up" the hourly wage a bit, but that still beats what it would cost to provide ObamaCare. Adding salt to the wound, as they say, I bet some of these companies already provided some medical benefits.  The company to follow: Wal-Mart.

One solution that will pop up:  companies will pop up providing temporary workers to fill slots required by fast service restaurants. Think of "waiter-pools."  These will be pools in which waiters will occupy, and then move from restaurant to restaurant, to get the more than 30 hours they need, even though they won't get the 30 hours they need to qualify for ObamaCare.

But I digress. The point is that service industries, and perhaps even manufacturing industries, will lean to adapt to the 29-hour work week.

Iraq Could Be A Game-Changer -- Nothing To Do With The Bakken

IEA: Iraq could be a game changer.

Currently, 3 million bopd. Could double by 2025.

In the long term, that may be correct. In the short term, there are some major concerns, one of which is the risk to Iraq's pipeline that runs through Syria into eastern Turkey. That happened in July of this year (2012), in which a blast to that pipeline shut down about 25% of Iraq's oil exports.

Meanwhile, yesterday, October 8, 2012, a blast shut down a natural gas pipeline that runs from Iran to Turkey. But this is the big takeaway from that article:

The accelerating series of events is likely to raise questions not only in regional capitals such as Baku and Ankara, but also Brussels. Turkey's planned $7 billion TANAP pipeline is now set to play a vital role in EU energy security by carrying 16 billion cubic metres per year from the second phase of the giant Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan towards Central Europe.

Random Note on COP From Motley Fool -- Nothing To Do With The Bakken

Nice link here from Motley Fool regarding Phillips 66, COP, and CVX.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that shares are up nearly 38% since the spin off nor is there any reason to complain about their recently announced 25% dividend boost. The company also received a very high profile stamp of approval after Berkshire Hathaway added to their position in the company above what they received in the spinoff. Warren Buffett who’s known for wanting to own great businesses now holds a five percent stake in the company. 

I don't care for Motley Fool all that much, but occasionally I enjoy their stories. This was one I enjoyed.

Random Look At Some Nice Wells in Area of Petro-Hunt's Permits for a 6-Well Pad

In yesterday's daily activity report, Petro-Hunt picked up permits for six wells to be placed on one pad in section 31-154-94, in the far northeast corner of Charlson oil field, just next to Alkali Creek and Elm Tree, a section that is mostly under the river.

They are hitting some incredible wells in that area. Here are two long horizontals from section 17 that run south toward the newest Petro-Hunt locations:

• 21287, 835, Hess, EN-Thompson Trust -154-94-2029H-1, Alkali Creek, t6/12; cum 53K 8/12;
• 21288, 1,903, Hess, EN-Thompson Trust -154-94-1930H-1, Alkali Creek, t4/12; cum 142K 8/12

Note: the one well has hit nearly 150,000 bbls in first full five months of production; the other well is more than halfway to the 100,000-bbl milestone in three full months.

Monthly Production Data: 21288, Hess:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	8-2012	31	16449	15871	3562	48251	0	48251
BAKKEN	7-2012	26	16885	17111	4423	47302	0	47302
BAKKEN	6-2012	30	24969	25234	3599	53863	0	53863
BAKKEN	5-2012	23	26415	26296	3782	50163	0	50163
BAKKEN	4-2012	30	51018	51488	8738	69427	0	69427
BAKKEN	3-2012	1	6158	4378	3123	4193	0	4193

Monthly Production Data: 21287, Hess

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	8-2012	31	11009	10630	3632	28673	0	28673
BAKKEN	7-2012	26	11426	11964	4340	23882	0	23882
BAKKEN	6-2012	30	25165	24265	10700	35726	0	35726
BAKKEN	5-2012	4	5038	4765	2462	1025	0	1025

 Meanwhile, XTO, has a well to the northwest with more than 200,000 bbls after two years:

• 18510, 1,462, XTO, Ward 11X-23, Charlson, t4/10; cum 230K 8/12;

Best Link of the Month? Year? Aerial Photos of the Oil Patch

Robb Siverson has absolutely outstanding photos of the oil patch in western North Dakota.

His website: http://robbsiverson.com/

At his homepage, click on services and then aerial photography, or click on very first link above to get their directly.

Years ago, I spotted a large photograph of custom combining in the home of one of my close friends; it was a photograph I will never forget of North Dakota. Robb has several similar photos. I can't imagine North Dakota farmers not having a room of such spectacular photos in their homes -- either in North Dakota or Arizona. This is an incredible photo-history that will be capture their legacy to be shared with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I wish CLR had used some of these photos (or their photos) in their investors' day corporate presentations. Folks really get a kick out of seeing these pictures. I don't think anyone -- who appreciates the Bakken -- ever tires of seeing these pictures. 

Based on a few random comments from out-of-staters over the years, it is obvious many folks have no idea how beautiful North Dakota is (of course, most NoDaks don't mind; they enjoy the peace and quiet). And again, only a small part of North Dakota is feeling the direct impact of the oil industry. I have never seen the wind farms, for example. Sited among the water ponds and thinking about the migrating birds is of concern. My understanding is that the slicers and dicers are still during bird migrations. Be that as it may, the photos are incredible!

CLR's Investor Day Presentation

The presentation can be found at CLR's website. I had a fairly fast wi-fi connection at the Belmont, MA, Starbucks, and it still took about twelve minutes to download. Be prepared.

CLR's legacy of success:

• Cedar Hills field: first field developed completely with horizontal drilling
• Elm Coulee field: unlocked the code with horizontal drilling and open hole frac
• ND Bakken: first economic well that was horizontally drilled with a staged frac
• ND Bakken: proved the Three Forks as a separate reservoir
• Anadarko Woodford: extended the play significantly northwest and southeast
• today: extending laterals up to three miles (2012)

Goals, past (production):

• 2010: 3x production year-end 2009 through year-end 2013, to 112 million boepd
• the 2010 goal will be achieved 18 months early (July, 2012)
• the 2009 production had been 13.6 million boepd; the 2014 goal was 41 million boepd

Other operators (as of 2Q12) - oil production

• CLR: #1 oil  producer in the Williston Basin - 8 million bbls
• HES: 6 million bbls
• WLL: 5.2 million bbls
• EOG: 4.9 million bbls
• COP: 3 million bbls
• CLR and Hess accelerating; WLL, EOG, COP fairly flat

Goal, past (proved reserves):

• 3x proved reserved year-end 2009 through year-end 2014
• proved reserves, 2009: 257 million boe
• proved reserves, 2014, goal: 771 million boe

Ten-year growth strategy:

• accelerate oil-rich inventory
• capitalize on growth platforms in place (Bakken, Anadarko Woodford)
• generate new oil plays

Growth potential, growing the Bakken through exploration

• USGS, 2008: 3.7 billion bbls technically recoverable oil
• CLR, 2010: 24 billion bbls technically recoverable oil
• CLR, 2012: 903 billion bbls of oi in place

CLR net acreage in the Bakken:

• 2009: 645,347
• 2010: 855, 936
• 2011: 915,863  
• 2012: 972,056

CAPEX, 2013 - 2014 (rounded):

• $850 million: $235 development; $60 dev pilot; $80 lower TF accelerated de-risking; $60 other northern region new plays; $150 southern region new plays; $240 leasehold;
• 110 net wells

Wells costing $9.5 to $11.3 million; target -- $8.2 million

Slide 33: demand for Bakken growing faster than production

2012 goal

• 3x production by year-end 2017: from 97K boepd today to 300,000 boepd in 2017
• 3x proved reserves by year-end 2017: from 508 million boe to 1.524 billion boe in 2017
• CLR will move from independents (CXO, DNR, PXD, WLL, XEC, SD) to join the super-independent (EOG, DVN, APC, APA)

CNBC Human Interest Story on Guar

Link here to CNBC.

There are currently about 30,000 acres of guar crops in the U.S., according to Trostle.

Almost all of these acres are found in Texas, where the hot, dry climate accommodates the desert plant. The problem is, Texas isn't yielding near enough guar to meet the needs of the U.S. fracking industry.

Take Texas-based FTS (Frack Tech Services) International, for example. The company has reported using 1,700 tons of guar gum each month. The current acreage of U.S. guar would only keep them going for about 3 months. So, they buy Indian guar.

"Oilfield service companies would like to propel acreage far higher, well above 100,000 acres," according to Texas A&M's recent industry report. The major proponents include Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and Schlumberger, who combined perform over 45 percent of U.S. fracking operations.

Even if U.S. guar does become commercially viable, it's not happening fast enough for frackers, who are moving on to "Plan B."

"With the guar shortage, there has been a renewed research and development focus on developing newer alternatives," said Jennifer Miskimins, professor of petroleum engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

This September, Halliburton announced test results for 'PermStim' fluid, which it claims is a viable alternative to guar gum. The product has some competition. Schlumberger, for example, is developing 'HiWay' - which also promises to reduce reliance on guar gum.

Clear Creek -- MB, TF, Tyler; The BR Mesa Verde Wells; CLR's Multi-Year TF Study; Petro-Hunt Activity

Permits

2014

29157, conf, Newfield, Rolfsrud State 152-96-29-32-13HLW, 

27875, conf, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27C-6H,

27874, conf, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27A-5H,

27655, conf, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 152-96-34C-27-2HS,

27654, conf, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 152-96-4A-10-1HS,

27653, conf, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 152-96-33D-28-1HS, 

27542, conf, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-26B-25-2HS, 

27541, conf, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-23C-24-1HS,

27540, conf, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27A-35A-1HS,

27368, conf, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-24C-13-1HS,

27367, conf, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-23D-14-2HS, 

2013 

27282, conf, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-22D-14-1HS,

25831, 1,872, BR, Sunline 21-1TFH-4SH, 4 sectioins, t6/14; cum 14K 6/14;

25830, 1,488, BR, Rising Sun 21-1TFH-4NH, 4 sections, t5/14; cum 14K 6/14;

25829, 2,088, BR, Sunline 21-1MBH-5SH, 4 sections, t5/14; cum 14K 6/14;

25828, 2,880, BR, Rising Sun 21-1MBH-5NH, 4 sections, t5/14; cum 14K 6/14;

2012 

24534, conf, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34B-5H,

24533, conf, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34B-6H, producing, 

24532, 2,838, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34A-3H, t9/13; cum 94K 6/14;

24531, 1,859, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27D-3H, t9/13; cum 88K 6/14;

24530, 818, Petro-Hunt, Wollen 152-96-27D-4H, t9/13; cum 42K 6/14;

24529, 1,621, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34A-4H, t9/13; cum 81K 6/14;

24326, 1,674, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-35D-26-6H, t5/13; cum 122K 6/14;

24323, 1,187, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-35D-26-5H, t5/13; cum 94K 6/14;

24313, 1,895, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-14A-23-6H, t10/13; cum 132K 6/14;

24312, 2,120, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-14A-23-7H, t10/13; cum 129K 6/14;

24262, 2,984, BR, Glacier 41-4TFH, t11/13; cum 87K 6/14;

24261, 2,837, BR, Glacier 24-9MBH, t11/13; cum 39K 6/14;

24260, 2,766, BR, Glacier 24-9TFH, t12/13; cum 38K 6/14;

24259, 2,966, BR, Glacier 14-9MBH, t12/13; cum 39K 6/14;

24258, 2,966, BR, Glacier 14-9TFH, t12/13; cum 35K 6/14;

24055, 1,657, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-28A-33-6H, t11/13; cum 120K 6/14;

24054, 1,528, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-33C-28-5H, t1/14; cum 90K 6/14;

24053, 892,  Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-33C-28-4H, t1/14; cum 104K 6/14;

23295, 2,592, BR, Mesa Verde 14-22TFH, t1/13; cum 171K 6/14;

23294, 2,962, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22MBH, t2/13; cum 90K 6/14;

23293, 3,878, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22TFH, t3/13; cum 108K 6/14;

23263, 2,978, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22TFH, t3/13; cum 114K 6/14;

23262, 2,967, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22MBH, t3/13; cum 135KK 6/14;

23261, 3,880, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22TFH, t2/13; cum 91K 6/14;

22566, 664, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34C-1H, t8/12; cum 135K 6/14;

22565, 316, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34D-2H, t8/12; cum 107K 6/14;

22564, 80, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27B-1-3, a Tyler well, t5/12; cum 32K 6/14;

22492, 1,368, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3A-10-5H, t9/13; cum 106K 6/14;

22491, 1,687, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3A-10-6H, t10/13; cum 107K 6/14;

22490, 1,594, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3A-10-7H, t10/13; cum 127K 6/14;

22440, 1,113, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 12-96-28A-33-3H, t8/13; cum 119K 6/14;

22439, 925, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-28A-33-2H, t10/12; cum 200K 6/14;

22280, 1,062, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3B-10-4H, t11/12; cum 104K 6/14;

Updates

December 29, 2013: Case 21589, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek-Tyler, redefine field limits, rules, McKenzie. January, 2014, NDIC dockets. 

May 11, 2013: BR's Mesa Verde wells:

• 18442, 2,348, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22H, t3/10; cum 293K 6/14;
• 23261, 3,880, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22TFH, t2/13; cum 91K 6/14;
• 23262, 2,967, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22MBH, t3/13; cum 135K 6/14;
• 23263, 2,978, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22TFH, t3/13; cum 114K 6/14;
• 23293, 3,878, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22TFH, t3/13; cum 108K 6/14;
• 23294, 2,962, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22MBH, t2/13; cum 90K 6/14;
• 23295, 2,592, BR, Mesa Verde 14-22TFH, t1/13; cum 171K 6/14;

October 16, 2012: Clear Creek oil field in play as part of CLR's multi-well multi-year Three Forks study:

• 19283, 1,524, BR, Sunline 11-1MB-3SH, Clear Creek, t5/11; cum 129K 6/14; 4-section;
• 19285, 2,325, BR, Rising Sun 11-1MB-3NH, Clear Creek, t7/12; cum 176K 6/14; 4-section;
• 19286, 1,464, BR, Sunline 11-1TF-2SH, Clear Creek, t5/11; cum 146K 6/14; 4-section; TF2;
• 19287, 1,872, BR, Rising Run 11-1TF-2NH, Clear Creek, t7/11; cum 106K 6/14; 4-section;

Original Post

For background to this story, consider:

• overview of oil-producing formations in the Williston Basin: at this site, use the search function or scroll down to either the Minnelusa group or the Tyler formation.
• monster wells in the Williston Basin;

Then look at the added material to the post yesterday regarding wells coming off the confidential list.
There are two things to note at the latter link:

• Petro-Hunt's Minnelusa Wollan well; and, 
• the new permits: of the 15 new permits yesterday, Petro-Hunt accounted for nine (9).

Of all the operators in the Bakken, Petro-Hunt has always intrigued me. Because it is not publicly traded, information is hard to come by. When I started blogging about the Bakken, there were three private operators that stood out: Anschutz, Slawson, and Petro-Hunt. Anschutz, of course, sold out to OXY USA. Slawson was really, really active in the beginning, but now I don't see it so much. On the other hand, Petro-Hunt seems to be increasing its pace of activity.

Historically, the Tyler formation has been one of the top five oil-producing formations in the Williston Basin. According to the first link above: the Tyler formation is part of the Minnelusa Group, fairly shallow, above the Bakken. The Tyler formation has been divided into two informal units, a lower unit and an upper unit. It produces oil from both units, but oil production from the Tyler is mostly limited to southwestern North Dakota.

Look at the map at that first link. Interestingly, Petro-Hunt's Minnelusa Wollan well is clearly in a "new" location for the Tyler formation. This well is located in Clear Creek, northeast McKenzie County, and a sweet spot for the Bakken, just a few miles east of the Banks and Camp oil fields.

I don't follow the Tyler formation yet well enough to know how this new Petro-Hunt wells stacks up against the others, but a quick comparison of Tyler wells at the "monster well" page suggests that an IP of 80 is fine. 

Clear Creek Field

Clear Creek field is an old field with a lot of activity over the years. It is located in northeast McKenzie County, in one of the sweet spots of the Bakken, just a few miles east of the Camp and Banks oil fields.

It is a very small field, only 14 sections or so. It would have been a 4 x 3 section field except for a couple of sections (and irregular at that) in the southwest corner. State highway 23, running north and south through the oil field, cuts the oil field in half (east and west halves) on the highway's run to New Town to the east, having come from Watford City to the southwest.

At the date of posting, there are no less than nine (9) wells straddling the section line between sections 22/27-152-96 (come producing, some drilling, some on confidential list).

• 17518, 493, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 27B-2-2H, t3/09; cum 112K 6/14;
• 17703, 1,252, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 27A-2-2H, t6/09; cum 175K 6/14;
• 18442, 2,348, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22H, t3/10; cum 293K 6/14;
• 22564, 80, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27B-1-3, t5/12; cum 37K 6/14; a Minnelusa (Tyler) well;
• 23262, 2,967, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22MBH, t3/13; cum 135K 6/14;
• 23263, 2,978, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22TFH, t3/13; cum 114K 6/14;
• 23293, 3,878, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22TFH, t3/13; cum 108K 6/14;
• 23294, 2,962, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22MBH, t2/13; cum 9K 6/14;
• 23295, 2,592, BR, Mesa Verde 14-22TFH, t1/13; cum 171K 6/14;