Hess To Drill Seventeen (17) Wells In One Drilling Unit Under The River

This case caught my attention: up to 17 horizontal wells to be sited in one 1280-acre drilling unit. It turns out that this is along the river and the siting is required to reach locations under the Missouri.

Case No. 21619: Application of Hess Corp. for an order amending the applicable orders for the Sanish-Bakken Pool to authorize up to seventeen horizontal wells to be drilled on a 1280-acre spacing unit described as Sections 15 and 22, T.153N., R.93W., Mountrail County, ND, and granting such other and further relief as may be appropriate.

The red arrow points to the section (and likely location) where these seventeen wells will be sited.

The case suggests that the 17 horizontals will be confined to that one 1280-acre drilling unit, but it certainly seems more likely that the 17 wells will be sited in section 15, and will actually extend to three adjoining sections, (16, 21, and 22) but I don't know.