My First Question: So What? -- April 25, 2020

From twitter:

Two comments:

• the numbers may be bogus, but the trend / optic is accurate -- Saudi emptied its on-shore storage in March / April, 2020
• this is global storage; most of it may be in Saudi Arabia, but the kingdom has storage including but not limited to throughout the Middle East, Rotterdam, and the US

The first question is "so what?"

The next question is "why" did they empty their on-shore storage in the manner that they did?

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Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow Night, Jennifer Warnes

Vegetative Or Dead: Kim Jong Un -- April 25, 2020

Time Line

April 26, 2020, morning: US president Trump and South Korean presidential aide both suggest Kim is alive; the SK presidential aide, saying "alive and well." US intelligence agency reporting no unusual military movements in North Korea which they would expect;

April 26, 2020, 10:10 a.m. CT: KPOK radio in Bowman just reported Rocket Man is DEAD. 10.10 AM cst8:59 p.m.

April 25, 2020: US senator Lindsey Graham says he would be surprised if KJU not dead or incapacitated. Washington Examiner. One would think Graham would have coordinated with Trump before talking.

London Mirror: around 9:00 p.m. Central Time, Saturday, April 25, 2020 -- botched heart surgery.

4:04 p.m. CT, April 25, 2020. meet Kim Yo Jong, KJU's sister and possible successor. Forbes.

Tweet: TMZ broke news late afternoon, Central Time, Saturday, April 25, 2020.

New York Post, Fox News: early afternoon, Central Time, Saturday, April 25, 2020. Reports.

New Gas Processing Plant Proposed Near Williston -- April 25, 2020

Link at Williston Herald:

• B. Sanderson Gas Processing Plant, Williams County, siting application, PSC hearing, April 24, 2020;
• OE2 North proposing to build a 250 million cfpd gas processing plant
• $150 million project
• 39 acres of a 143-acre parcel owned by OE2
• if construction begins by mid-April, could be completed by December 15, 2020;
• 15 miles west of Williston, near the Montana border with Roosevelt and Richland counties
• will serve XTO production in Williams County
• will help reduce flaring in that area by as much as 25,000 tons/year

US Delays Oil Pipeline Approvals After Environmental Ruling -- April 25, 2020

Link here.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has suspended a nationwide program used to approve oil and gas pipelines, power lines and other utility work, spurred by a court ruling that industry representatives warn could slow or halt numerous infrastructure projects over environmental concerns.

The directive from Army Corps headquarters, detailed in emails obtained by The Associated Press, comes after a federal court last week threw out a blanket permit that companies and public utilities have used for decades to build projects across streams and wetlands.

The Trump administration is expected to challenge the ruling in coming days. For now, officials have put on hold about 360 pending notifications to entities approving their use of the permit, Army Corps spokesman Doug Garman said Thursday.

The agency did not provide further details on types of projects or their locations.

Pipeline and electric utility industry representatives said the effects could be widespread if the suspension lasts, affecting both construction and maintenance on potentially thousands of projects. That includes major pipelines like TC Energy’s Keystone XL crude oil line from Canada to the U.S. Midwest, the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline in Virginia and power lines from wind turbines and generating stations in many parts of the U.S.

“The economic consequences to individual projects are hard to overstate,” said Ben Cowan, a Houston-based attorney with Locke Lord LLP who represents pipeline and wind energy companies. “It could be fatal to a number of projects under construction if they are forced to stop work for an extended period in order to obtain individual permits.”

Wow, are "we" nuts or what? Wow.

Week 17: April 19, 2020 -- April 25, 2020

Top energy story of the week:

• CLR will suspend production in the Bakken;
• US delays oil pipeline approvals after environmental ruling;

Favorite video:

Best news all week:

• NPR warns of major cuts due to coronavirus; 
• Intravenous injection of UV light to kill coronavirus might be studied -- President Trump 
• Crawdad season

Biggest non-story of the entire week:

Top international story of the entire week:

• Saudi sends flotilla of oil tankers to west coast of US; and, here;
• Saudi Arabia having second thoughts about sending flotilla of oil tankers to west coast of US; facing backlash in US; 
• OPEC basket drops to mid-teens; here; here;

Top international non-energy story:

• Coronavirus

Top international energy story:

• After crashing to below $0/bbl, crude oil trades recover to mid-teens; 
• Russia, Saudi Arabia hint at re-look;

Top national non-energy story:

• Coronavirus

Top national energy story:

• US crude oil supply at new all-time record, 38 days; 
• Gasoline down to 78 cents/gallon;
• Another whopping crude oil build;
• WTI goes as low as a minus $37;

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

Top North Dakota energy story:

•  NDIC to consider "pricing" and "waste";

Geoff Simon's top ND stories (does not include stories posted elsewhere on this page):

• US delays oil pipeline approvals after environmental ruling;
• Schlumberger to cut 1,500 jobs; slash spending to stay alive;
• B. Sanderson Gas Processing Plant, Williams County, siting application, PSC hearing, April 24, 2020;
• Counties, cities face reductions up to 48% for Gross Production Tax revenue

Operations:

• Wave Petroleum's wildcat Tyler well southwest of Dickinson, dry; 
• MRO reports near-record wells in Four Bears;

Operators:

• CLR to suspend Bakken production;

Advantaged oil:

• BR's Lassen wells in Blue Buttes; 
• A BR Teton well in Johnson Corner;
• Spectacular MRO wells in Reunion Bay; Bailey field, here;

Fracking:

Bakken economy:

• Legacy fund deposits posted;

Commentary:

• A world glut;
• Clearing out the in-box;
  
• Saudi emptied its on-shore storage to flood the market with oil;
• Kraken Operating with some nice wells on the fringe;

The BR Lassen Wells In Blue Buttes -- April 25, 2020

The BR Lassen wells are incredible. This is not surprising. BR generally reports great wells. The Lassen wells came off the confidential list almost three years ago (July, 2017) but went to DUC status, and I lost track of them.

But I caught up with them today.

This post will cover the two newest Lassen pads. The two older wells, sited just a bit to the east, were updated elsewhere.

• 32747, 547, BR, Lassen 5-1-26UTFH, Blue Buttes, t8/17; cum 371K 2/20;
• 32746, 160, BR, Lassen 4-1-26MBH, Blue Buttes, t8/17; cum 400K 2/20;

• 32543, 310, BR, Lassen 1-1-26UTFH, Blue Buttes, t8/17; cum 365K 2/20;
• 32544, 284, BR, Lassen 3-1-26UTFH, Blue Buttes, t8/17; cum 331K 2/20;
• 32445, 224, BR, Lassen 4-1-26MBH, Blue Buttes, t8/17; cum 408K 2/20;

Production for three of the wells shown below.

Production profile for 32746:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2020	29	8902	8869	2697	21956	21845	0
BAKKEN	1-2020	15	5075	4994	2075	10111	10041	0
BAKKEN	12-2019	8	2022	2204	529	3605	3579	0
BAKKEN	11-2019	30	9024	9159	4242	15405	14066	1225
BAKKEN	10-2019	30	9932	10141	4726	20696	20129	384
BAKKEN	9-2019	30	9033	8904	4410	18531	18072	230
BAKKEN	8-2019	28	9009	9077	4025	17013	16841	0
BAKKEN	7-2019	31	12242	11971	1323	14742	14326	267
BAKKEN	6-2019	13	3265	3090	384	3402	3225	126
BAKKEN	5-2019	6	1485	1608	684	1372	1356	7
BAKKEN	4-2019	25	5256	5160	2521	4879	4685	174
BAKKEN	3-2019	25	5652	5590	1458	9378	3113	6251
BAKKEN	2-2019	4	857	1107	389	49251	47779	1423
BAKKEN	1-2019	31	8209	8110	3628	7323	7263	56
BAKKEN	12-2018	31	7837	7823	3015	7563	7558	0
BAKKEN	11-2018	30	6454	6278	3153	3394	3390	0
BAKKEN	10-2018	2	319	325	39	21	21	0
BAKKEN	9-2018	1	384	677	192	1264	1262	0
BAKKEN	8-2018	31	16978	16961	7389	43398	43378	0
BAKKEN	7-2018	31	18819	19008	6577	36417	36402	0
BAKKEN	6-2018	30	25326	25146	8019	59116	59095	0
BAKKEN	5-2018	31	26413	26656	8563	52106	52084	0
BAKKEN	4-2018	30	27099	26868	8135	41619	41598	0
BAKKEN	3-2018	26	33468	33206	10873	43194	43180	0
BAKKEN	2-2018	28	4749	4910	4025	10611	10604	0
BAKKEN	1-2018	31	32481	32531	8438	64010	63982	0
BAKKEN	12-2017	29	30837	30801	22484	48852	48831	0
BAKKEN	11-2017	24	24741	24782	21719	38111	38094	0
BAKKEN	10-2017	31	26854	26740	9976	36512	36497	0
BAKKEN	9-2017	29	24686	25314	7710	25658	25041	602
BAKKEN	8-2017	31	2466	1686	857	2311	2291	0
BAKKEN	7-2017	11	0	0	0	27	0	0

Production profile for 32747:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2020	29	5658	5727	3054	17890	16962	842
BAKKEN	1-2020	31	6370	6408	2550	18134	18009	0
BAKKEN	12-2019	31	6986	6933	2996	22912	22744	0
BAKKEN	11-2019	30	6125	6216	2458	13273	11837	1340
BAKKEN	10-2019	30	6739	6882	2739	17591	16941	496
BAKKEN	9-2019	30	6131	6088	2555	15757	15209	355
BAKKEN	8-2019	31	7003	7014	2968	16652	16378	107
BAKKEN	7-2019	31	8543	8824	1211	14372	12911	1327
BAKKEN	6-2019	30	8216	7956	1402	14762	12282	2286
BAKKEN	5-2019	31	7003	6886	3466	11894	10852	972
BAKKEN	4-2019	30	6958	6876	3393	10931	10610	275
BAKKEN	3-2019	31	9819	10204	2044	15656	11711	3894
BAKKEN	2-2019	28	10358	10207	4264	4893	4888	0
BAKKEN	1-2019	31	11698	11529	5554	17069	17059	0
BAKKEN	12-2018	31	10095	10092	4251	13212	13203	0
BAKKEN	11-2018	30	8827	8617	6141	6893	6884	0
BAKKEN	10-2018	8	1486	1443	338	845	580	264
BAKKEN	9-2018	0	0	362	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	8-2018	31	19953	19896	7335	51842	51819	0
BAKKEN	7-2018	31	19730	19920	7664	39730	39714	0
BAKKEN	6-2018	30	26093	25878	11084	54812	54793	0
BAKKEN	5-2018	31	24626	24786	11545	45868	45849	0
BAKKEN	4-2018	30	21939	21748	11911	34585	34568	0
BAKKEN	3-2018	26	26688	26565	21248	36405	36393	0
BAKKEN	2-2018	28	11895	11923	6697	6346	6342	0
BAKKEN	1-2018	31	23768	23697	14863	19736	19727	0
BAKKEN	12-2017	31	9743	9701	6896	16855	16848	0
BAKKEN	11-2017	26	4512	4735	2556	13694	13688	0
BAKKEN	10-2017	31	26606	26489	11417	36512	36497	0
BAKKEN	9-2017	29	23972	24605	7966	25015	24398	602
BAKKEN	8-2017	31	3271	2491	857	2813	2789	0
BAKKEN	7-2017	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Production profile for 32445:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2020	24	5188	5262	2317	12502	12258	182
BAKKEN	1-2020	31	6238	6260	3354	12144	10768	1301
BAKKEN	12-2019	31	6350	6311	3066	17148	12002	5057
BAKKEN	11-2019	30	5881	5881	3531	10649	8805	1773
BAKKEN	10-2019	16	4210	4061	2210	15236	9411	5739
BAKKEN	9-2019	1	188	293	143	192	190	0
BAKKEN	8-2019	12	2282	2406	1332	8875	4509	4320
BAKKEN	7-2019	31	5585	5726	870	21636	14483	7002
BAKKEN	6-2019	23	4825	4950	942	17661	11165	6320
BAKKEN	5-2019	31	9097	9001	5072	40598	38208	2144
BAKKEN	4-2019	30	10483	10311	5736	47925	47717	0
BAKKEN	3-2019	31	12249	12469	3301	43670	39017	4483
BAKKEN	2-2019	28	8250	8299	3675	5459	5453	0
BAKKEN	1-2019	31	13992	13854	6375	46373	46347	0
BAKKEN	12-2018	31	14608	14649	4471	34528	34505	0
BAKKEN	11-2018	30	14370	14404	5283	17959	17936	0
BAKKEN	10-2018	31	15467	15487	5348	14564	13578	956
BAKKEN	9-2018	24	11731	11567	6381	21020	20991	0
BAKKEN	8-2018	31	16586	16633	11344	31250	31236	0
BAKKEN	7-2018	31	22508	22563	11662	46036	46017	0
BAKKEN	6-2018	30	21256	21090	7963	39155	39141	0
BAKKEN	5-2018	31	20843	20997	9781	36546	36531	0
BAKKEN	4-2018	30	19519	19361	7805	28040	28026	0
BAKKEN	3-2018	26	25011	24931	11314	73692	73668	0
BAKKEN	2-2018	28	14516	14510	5672	62226	62184	0
BAKKEN	1-2018	31	22637	22697	8332	41906	41888	0
BAKKEN	12-2017	31	24455	24434	3111	35120	35105	0
BAKKEN	11-2017	25	20468	20543	3086	28302	28290	0
BAKKEN	10-2017	31	26344	26223	10336	36512	36497	0
BAKKEN	9-2017	30	22758	22618	7755	25658	25041	602
BAKKEN	8-2017	16	493	493	191	1556	1543	0

Jump In Production -- BR's Lassen Three Forks Well In Blue Buttes -- April 25, 2020

The well:

• 24136, 2,894, BR, Lassen 41-26TFH, Blue Buttes, t3/13; cum 284K 12/19; offline 1/20; remains off line 2/20; Hubbert's theory disproved once again; NDIC does not show a re-frack; fracked 3/13, 30 stages; 3.6 million lbs (a very small frack); for newbies -- back in 2013, operators were drilling wells with EURs around 350,000 bbls of crude oil; 
• 18025, the sister well did not show a similar bump in production; 
• the newer Lassen wells are tracked here;

Production when well first drilled back in early 2013:

BAKKEN	9-2013	9	3349	3185	990	4675	2931	1744
BAKKEN	8-2013	31	11846	11841	3260	22756	20558	2198
BAKKEN	7-2013	8	2847	2784	450	3923	2296	1627
BAKKEN	6-2013	30	15607	15548	4885	27988	27712	275
BAKKEN	5-2013	31	10928	10736	0	14596	8586	6010
BAKKEN	4-2013	30	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	3-2013	4	3157	3157	0	1	0	0

Then, five years later:

BAKKEN	7-2018	31	5649	5513	2993	6607	6607	0
BAKKEN	6-2018	9	1477	1569	1301	2210	2210	0
BAKKEN	5-2018	31	6707	6613	4104	6423	6423	0
BAKKEN	4-2018	30	14096	14109	7000	11926	11926	0
BAKKEN	3-2018	12	7485	7533	2056	8262	8260	0
BAKKEN	2-2018	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	1-2018	14	1615	1740	396	1376	1097	277
BAKKEN	12-2017	25	1875	1821	672	4595	2285	2306
BAKKEN	11-2017	30	2737	2568	1423	3207	3203	0

Most recently:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2020	1	46	46	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	1-2020	6	412	512	178	886	885	0
BAKKEN	12-2019	31	3957	4015	1641	6210	5966	240
BAKKEN	11-2019	30	4030	3999	1908	8072	8068	0
BAKKEN	10-2019	31	4487	4460	2172	7312	5073	2239

Notes From All Over, The Early Saturday Morning Edition -- April 25, 2020

Unfinished business: unless I'm missing it, I don't see the one active rig in CLR's Long Creek Unit any more. There was still work to be done, but this past week, CLR announced it was shutting down production in the Bakken due to prices for WTI going negative.

OMG! I just came back from our neighborhood grocery store to pick up a breakfast item. I rode my bike -- without wearing a mask. I noted there were three types of shoppers braving Wuhan flu: those who were wearing masks (they were in the majority); those who not wearing masks (real risk-takers); and those who wore masks on their chin with mouth and nose uncovered. But OMG! I have never seen this store so well stocked. Aisles were overflowing; every shelf full, including toilet paper and paper towels. Coffins full of eggs. And $1.49/dozen.

Weather: cooler than I expected. Supposed to be a warm day. And the humidity and the breeze made it feel cooler than it really was. Quite cloudy but not overcast.

EV charging points in the US: flat, since 2018 -- S&P Global Platts  --

Reminder: having trouble sending large files or movies via Yahoo!Mail or gmail? FireFox Sends has the solution and it's pretty clever. It's been out there for years (?) and it still works.

Ecdysis: word for the day.

Bonus word for the day: epiphany. This was a tough one for me. No, not epiphany, the root word, the Greek word, phanero. The latter means to reveal itself; to bring to light; to manifest itself. I was unable to think of an English word that derived from the Greek phanero. But a google search was revealing -- the English word "epiphany" derives from phanero. Can't wait to share with Arianna.
Interestingly, "fantastic" can be traced back to phanero --

Late Middle English (in the sense ‘unreal’): from Old French fantastique, via medieval Latin from Greek phantastikos, from phantazein ‘make visible’, phantazesthai ‘have visions, imagine’, from phantos ‘visible’ (related to phainein ‘to show’). From the 16th to the 19th centuries the Latinized spelling phantastic was also used. So, it turns out ...

and now any number of possibilities ...

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Unrelated

Ain't No Cure For Love, Jennifer Warnes, a Leonard Cohen song

Despite Rising Seas, Bill Gates Buy Beachfront Property; The Real Reason The Ocean Is Rising -- April 25, 2020

From What's Up With That.

This is a re-posting of an earlier story, but a different source, I believe. Maybe not. Whatever.

I would not have re-posted it except for the fact that it included a link to a very old article -- alluding to my measurements of the rising seas using markers on popsickle sticks to measure the rising seas. Remember that? Wow, that was a long, long time ago.

So, here's the link to that old story about the rising oceans, measured in millimeters.

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The Real Reason The Pacific Ocean Is Rising Along The California Coast

The Pacific Ocean along the California coast is rising due to displacement by 40 million bbls of Saudi Arabian oil in ULCCs and VLCCs sitting there with no place to go.

Alarmed by the rising seas, and the impact it might have on homes owned by Bill Gates, et al, President Trump is considering banning Saudi Arabian oil from entering the US.

Saudi Arabia is now considering re-routing those tankers.

I can't make this stuff up. From Aljazeera:

Saudi Arabia is considering rerouting millions of barrels of oil on board tankers sailing to the United States if President Donald Trump decides to block imports of crude from the kingdom, shipping and trade sources have told Reuters news agency.

Some 40 million barrels of Saudi oil are on their way to the US and due to arrive in the coming weeks, piling more pressure on markets already struggling to absorb a glut of stocks, according to shipping data and sources.

See photos of those ships off shore California at this post. 

Love him, or hate him, President Trump keeps his eye(s) on the ball.

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Better Late Than Never -- April 25, 2020

With operators shutting down in the Bakken, it looks like I will be able to catch up. LOL.

Back on March 5, 2017, I said we would get back to these three wells. I'm finally catching up. LOL.

See this post.

Saudi Arabia Giving Their Oil Away For $15/Bbl -- OPEC Basket -- April 25, 2020

Link here.

Time For A Re-Frack; The Bakken Never Ceases To Amaze Me -- April 25, 2020

The well:

• 18047, 1,620, BR, Teton 21-3H, Johnson Corner, t9/10; cum 278K 2/29;

At time of original frack back in early 2011:

BAKKEN	4-2011	23	6300	6280	1084	8063	5312	2751
BAKKEN	3-2011	13	7409	7171	1352	8484	6132	2352
BAKKEN	2-2011	6	1204	711	72	1778	866	898
BAKKEN	1-2011	10	3434	3363	969	5171	4412	733
BAKKEN	12-2010	31	14502	14350	3773	24880	6057	18746
BAKKEN	11-2010	10	5609	5618	1288	6259	0	6235
BAKKEN	10-2010	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	9-2010	14	3000	2878	2661	6833	0	6833

Then four years later:

BAKKEN	12-2015	24	9396	9690	3787	13645	13443	200
BAKKEN	11-2015	30	13758	14204	5466	20836	20675	157
BAKKEN	10-2015	31	14036	13805	4476	19071	19071	0
BAKKEN	9-2015	30	13719	13628	3124	15520	12732	2788
BAKKEN	8-2015	31	13734	13775	2093	16724	12108	4616
BAKKEN	7-2015	31	8714	8386	3234	8989	5153	3836
BAKKEN	6-2015	11	1920	1796	1809	1592	1592	0
BAKKEN	5-2015	6	306	240	45	311	310	1

Time for a re-frack:

BAKKEN	2-2020	29	522	911	488	1896	1684	140
BAKKEN	1-2020	31	882	703	539	2115	1922	116
BAKKEN	12-2019	31	1108	926	517	2101	2024	0
BAKKEN	11-2019	30	875	926	531	1815	1700	41

Full production at this post.