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Saturday, February 8, 2020

Idle Rambling, Saturday Night, February 8, 2020

This is going to be a huge year for moon-watchers -- not moon-walkers -- but moon-watchers.

Tonight -- a huge snow moon. It will "peak" at 2:33 a.m, early February 9, 2020, but midnight will be just about as "good." Only two more hours.


And it's the fourth-largest for 2020. That means there will be three "bigger" super moons this calendar year.

Which reminds me of a joke making the rounds after Trump's most endearing line coming out of his "victory lap" speech:
“But now we have that gorgeous word, I never thought a word would sound so good. It’s called total acquittal, total acquittal.”
Down here in Texas, we say there are only three kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can't.

Back to the skies. Venus has really, really been visible this past week. I'm still amazed that Algore, Occasional-Cortex, St Greta all arrived on the scene just in time to save the earth from humanity. As it is, they almost arrived too late.

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Bakken Graphic For The Week




A Hess EN-Weyrauch Well That Had Been Inactive For Several Months, Now Back On Active Status -- February 8, 2020

This page will not be updated.

The Hess EN-Weyrauch wells are tracked here.

After being off line for several months, this well is back on line:
  • 20651, A/IA/934, Hess, EN-Weyrauch C-154-93-2932H-2, Robinson Lake, middle Bakken, pump; 38 stages; 2 million lbs sand/ceramic, t3/12; cum 377K 12/19; off line 8/19; remains off line 11/19; was IA for several months; now A and back line, producing. Lots of activity in the area but no recent fracking in the area.
Production during period of interest:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
BAKKEN12-201912152214523409208420840
BAKKEN11-20190000000
BAKKEN10-20190000000
BAKKEN9-201900110000
BAKKEN8-201943383912665955950
BAKKEN7-201931496449691877958895880
BAKKEN6-20193058025922392010348103480
BAKKEN5-20193187678666551613946139460
BAKKEN4-20193069656904608411633116330
BAKKEN3-20199221921921842325032500
BAKKEN2-20190000000
BAKKEN1-20190000000
BAKKEN12-201800390000
BAKKEN11-201812582614266102510250
BAKKEN10-20183120672068570368836880
BAKKEN9-20183020172018466323532350
BAKKEN8-20183120392095508352435240

 

CLR Alfsvaag Well Updated -- February 8, 2020

This page will not be updated.

The CLR Alfsvaag wells are tracked here.

Production data has been updated for this well:
  • 30237, 1,782, CLR, Alfsvaag 4-31H, 10 stages, 1.5 million lbs, CMC, t8/17; cum 100K 6/19; "well partially completed; will return once repairs are made"
Production during period of interest:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
BAKKEN12-20192442304056310211130108280
BAKKEN11-201924771764930303328740
BAKKEN10-201927533588352264123250
BAKKEN9-201929139914751103461642640
BAKKEN8-20193112771182110843223707220
BAKKEN7-201926126412931518295026790
BAKKEN6-20193015461470129642643203721
BAKKEN5-201931154915171300517547680
BAKKEN4-201930162617292083530849150
BAKKEN3-20192634033464237769996332392
BAKKEN2-2019162671282517886188594863
BAKKEN1-20193182368134500922161198251934

From the file report:
  • change from flowing to submersible pump, November 12, 2018; nothing since then;

Wind And Solar Energy Is Free -- That's Why It Costs More -- WSJ -- February 8, 2020


Reported with a straight face:
For Consumers, the plan involves generating more than half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040, up from 11% last year. To do so, and offset losses from plant closures, it plans to add six gigawatts of solar power—requiring a total of 59 square miles of solar panels clustered across its service territory—as well as a smaller amount of wind power. Increasingly, both technologies compete on cost with natural gas, and because wind and sun are free, the utility will save hundreds of millions of dollars a year on fuel expenses. 
In the very next paragraph:
The transition will come at a cost. The company says it will spend at least $25 billion over the next decade to replace aging gas and electric equipment and prepare the grid for more renewables, batteries and electric vehicles—major capital investments that would eventually boost returns for shareholders. The expenditures will likely result in rate increases for customers, though Consumers anticipates keeping them below the rate of inflation in the coming years. 
But no, wind and solar energy is not free. In general, all wind and solar energy needs fossil fuel back-up.

An incredibly regressive "tax."

Idle Rambling -- Top Stories For The Week -- February 8, 2020

Top stories for the week have been posted.

Two items jumped out at me.

First, about a year ago I posted a note suggesting that, and I forget whether I said "2019" or "2020" but one of those years we would start to see a lot of wells going over 500K bbls crude oil cumulative. I may have been a year premature, but clearly we're going to see a fair number of such wells this calendar year (2020) but we should see many, many more starting next year. Pretty exciting.

Second, I posted a note about the US being the new "global" swing producer. I think a new term is needed. Prior to the US shale revolution, there was no question that the concept of "swing producer" and that term's relationship to Saudi Arabia made sense. When circumstances dictated, Saudi Arabia could increase / decrease production and or exports, and thus they were rightly considered the swing producer.

But the US is not a "Saudi Arabia." US oil production is not "centrally" managed out of Washington, DC. As long as operators -- hundreds of them -- are making money producing oil they will continue to produce oil. US oil operators don't act / react "in concert."

So, one can't talk about the US as a "swing producer" when it comes to oil.

A new term is necessary.

On another note, regarding the increasingly better oil production in the Bakken, this note was highly interesting and educational: water. It helps explain why the Bakken wells completed in 2020 are so much better then wells completed in 2010. (And, yes, I could come up with fifteen more reasons, if I had to.)

Week 6: February 2, 2020 -- February 8, 2020

Best graphic of the week:
Best video clip of the week:
  • Nancy Pelosi tearing an official copy of the president's state of the union address in half;
Top international non-energy story:
Top international energy story:
Top national non-energy story, politics:
Top national non-energy story, US economy:
Top national energy story:
Top North Dakota non-energy story:

Top North Dakota energy story:

Geoff Simon's top North Dakota stories:
  • "No" snow on the prairie; risk of spring flooding diminishes;
  • Coal Creek Station in financial trouble (understatement) -- owned and operated by Green River Energy, Maple Grove, MN;
  • EIA lowers long-term oil price outlook; will impact ND production;
  • Shorter school weeks proving successful in Alexander public schools
  • Williston to build hockey complex using old hangar;
  • "Prairie Dog" infrastructure money may be available earlier than expected;
  • PUC approves $100 million solar project on Pine Ridge Reservation;
  • US crude oil and natural gas production increased in 2018, with 10% fewer wells (memo: Red Queen);
  • Wind's production tax credit receives 12th extension -- 12th extension -- competitive? Not!
  • UN officials infuriated as Donald Trump stands up against global warming;
Wells of interest (see this note):
Operators:
Operations:

Fracking:
Pipelines:
Bakken 101:
Commentary: