Bakken Operators Showing An Interest In Three-Mile-Long Laterals? -- November 16, 2018

Updates

November 16, 2018: in the original post I mentioned super long laterals / extended long laterals / three-section laterals / three-mile laterals / triple-section laterals.

A reader suggests that we should watch Liberty Resources for these triple-section laterals.

At this post, I have posted the Liberty Resources permits/file numbers in descending permit order -- most recent permits at the top and then descending down to the older permits. The fourth column is the drilled depth. That column is blank until you get to permit #33712 because the wells have either not been drilled yet or they are not yet off the confidential list.

I could be wrong, but generally speaking, any well that has a reported depth of ~21,000 feet is a two-section lateral. A well with a reported depth of ~15,000 feet is a one-section lateral. To be a three-section lateral, I would expect a drilled depth of ~ 24,000.

As Lynn Helms noted, the Liberty Resources wells are not in the core Bakken but are located northeast of Williston, north of Tioga and White Earth, in the Powers Lake area.

Most of the other triple-section laterals of which I am aware go under the river, drilled by other operators.

• 33473, 568, Liberty Resources, Jensen W 159-93-21-9-1MBHX, Gros Ventre, t7/17; cum 141K 9/18; a triple-section well: TD= 24,308

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	9-2018	29	4318	4445	13801	6962	0	6962
BAKKEN	8-2018	31	4466	4385	15106	8040	0	8040
BAKKEN	7-2018	31	4984	4964	15449	8453	0	8453
BAKKEN	6-2018	30	5093	5033	15925	9167	0	9167
BAKKEN	5-2018	31	5976	6080	16006	9967	0	9967
BAKKEN	4-2018	30	6312	6399	15554	8445	0	8445
BAKKEN	3-2018	31	7390	7309	19168	10424	0	10424
BAKKEN	2-2018	26	6600	6588	15966	6552	0	5763
BAKKEN	1-2018	31	9557	9462	22340	12003	0	11003
BAKKEN	12-2017	31	10285	10671	23202	11849	0	10902
BAKKEN	11-2017	29	10565	10477	24035	10757	0	9874
BAKKEN	10-2017	31	13742	13775	31557	15202	0	14167
BAKKEN	9-2017	30	14270	14231	36858	16114	0	15168
BAKKEN	8-2017	31	16771	16803	45058	21956	0	21728
BAKKEN	7-2017	31	17680	17445	61978	27022	0	27022
BAKKEN	6-2017	9	3185	2531	61569	4589	0	4589

Original Post 

Reported earlier but worth reporting again.

From twitter:

Link here. Data points:

• North Dakota oil production averaged nearly 1.36 million b/d in September
• production was up about 66,800 b/d from August and a new record for monthly output
• September marked the fourth straight month for record-breaking oil output in North Dakota
• there is currently 1.37 million b/d of pipeline capacity out of the Bakken, with another 250,000-275,000 b/d of crude-by-rail capacity
• some lines are idled or operating below capacity, he said last week
• and then this:

Helms said that September marked the first time in at least three years that oil increased more rapidly than gas as operators shifted out of core drilling areas in the state where the gas to oil ratios are relatively high, to new wells in Divide, Mountrail and Burke counties in northwest North Dakota. "Those areas had gone for several years without any drilling activity and now with the advent of the three-mile-long laterals and new completion techniques they're much, much more economic," Helms said. "We're starting to see a little moderation in terms of gas-oil ratios. We're seeing oil and gas synchronize a bit more."

I was unaware of the current interest in three-mile-long laterals. I've reported on a few in the past but haven't reported on any new ones. My hunch is that most of them are still conf or SI/NC.

See these tags below for three-mile laterals: "extended long laterals" and "super long laterals."