Eighteen (18) New Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA; Abraxas Comes In With An Excellent Lillibridge Pad -- A Huge Congrats To The Roughnecks! QEP With Two Huge Wells; BR, Statoil Each With A Huge Well (All Based On High IPs)

The Director's Cut was posted earlier today.

I track projections here just for the fun of it. As it stands now, if December production is 2.8% greater than November production (on a daily basis), North Dakota will hit the 1 million bopd milestone. Last year the weather cooperated and December's production (in 2012) was 4.58% greater than November's production. However, November was one of two months in 2012 when daily production actually dropped month-over-month. There was some bad weather in December, 2013, so it is unlikely that North Dakota will hit the one million bopd milestone in December, 2013, and January, 2014, was a bear for weather also. So, we'll see.

Meanwhile, the daily activity report today is coming up next.

Active rigs: huge drop from 193 to 188.

Eighteen (18) new permits --

• Operators: CLR (6), HRC (5),  Oasis (5), Hess (2)
• Fields: Cottonwood (Burke), Big Gulch (Dunn), Eagle Nest (Dunn), Chimney Butte (Dunn)
• Comments:

Wells coming off the confidential list were posted earlier; see sidebar at the right. 

Eleven (11) producing wells completed:

• 25290, 741, KOG, Charging Eagle 14-14-24-16H3, Twin Buttes, t12/13; cum --
• 25609, 1,018, Abraxas, Lillibridge 20-17-8H, Pershing, t12/13; cum --
• 25608, 1,048, Abraxas, Lillibridge 20-17-7H, Pershing, t11/13; cum 9K 11/13;
• 25607, 1,086, Abraxas, Lillibridge 20-17-6H, Pershing, t11/13; cum 5K 11/13;
• 25606, 1,298, Abraxas, Lillibridge 20-17-5H,Pershing, t11/13; cum 11K 11/13;
• 25306, 2,460, QEP, Paul 1-26-35BH, the Helis Grail, t12/13; cum --
• 25305, 2,243, QEP, Paul 2-26-35BH, the Helis Grail, t12/13; cum --
• 25631, 128, Samson Resources, Comet 2635-2H, Ambrose, t12/13; cum --
• 22524, 48 (no typo), Cornerstone, Funk 2-27-34H, Carter,  t8/13; cum 8K 11/13;
• 25655, 2,856, BR, Washburn 43-36TFH, Charlson, t12/13; cum --
• 24360, 4,884, Statoil, Knight 35-26 2H, Banks, t12/13; cum --

Although that's a huge IP for Statoil, it is not the record. Statoil reported an IP of 5,417 on September 26, 2013: #23992, Beaux 18-19 7H, Banks oil field.

With regard to #22524, the Funk well. From the file report:

• the primary pay zone was 10’ to 26’ below the base of the Lower Bakken Shale
• this pay zone was picked for its production potential and quality of reservoir rock