Saturday, July 24, 2010

Newfield Directional Wells in Utah Being Drilled in 2.8 Days

Transcript here.
Newfield website here.
Yahoo!Financial: NFX

According to the 2Q, 2010, earnings conference call, Newfield set a company record drilling a directional well in 2.8 days, in their Monument Butte play in Utah. They have a 5-rig, 375 well/year program.
Our drilling team in Monument Butte continues to impress and set a recent drilling record of 2.8 days. That’s rig up to rig release and it was on a 20-acre directional well. Our improved drilling efficiencies are allowing us to drill an estimated 375 wells this year, with a five-rig program. It really puts it in perspective when you realize that we are turning a new oil well to sales every day now. This is the essence of a resource play and we are fortunate to have won this oil.
See the rest of the transcript here.

From their mid-year operational update:
Increasing production [in Monument Butte] is primarily attributable to improved drilling efficiencies. The Company recently set a drilling record (rig-up to rig-release) of 2.8 days on a 20-acre directional well. This compares to a 2009 average of 5.5 days and an average of approximately 6.5 days when Newfield acquired the field in 2004. Year-to-date average performance is 4.5 days. Recent gross well costs in Monument Butte range from $700,000 $900,000. The Company is operating five rigs today and expects to drill about 375 wells in 2010. 
Now, back to the Bakken:
I’ll move on now to the Williston Basin. Our production in this region is the head of original plans and has nearly doubled since the beginning of the year. That production today is more than 4,000 barrels of oil equivalent. We added a fourth operating rig to our program last week and expect that our net production at year end 2010 will be about 6,500 barrels per day in this region.

We have about 160,000 net acres under active development along the Nissan and west of the Nissan, and year-to-date we expect to drill 25 or so wells in the full-year of 2010 cycle. Most of our producing wells to date have had lateral lengths around 4,000 feet, we expect in the second half that half of these wells we will drill, will have extended lateral lengths up to as long as 9,000 feet.

We continue to involve our completion designs to achieve the best results. In our operations release we detail recent well results and you can see several of the wells of initial production rates in excess of 3,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and 30 day averages of a 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day or more.

In our Westberg development area on the Nesson Anticline, our recent Garvey Federal 1-29 well is our best to date and had an initial production rate of more than 3,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day from a 3,900-foot lateral.

We’re also seeing good results in our new assessment areas west of the Nesson in the Aquarium/Watford are a Bluefin well had an IP of about 2,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day and was our first Bakken well on this acreage area. More than half of remaining 120 wells this year will have lateral lengths of approximately 9,000 feet.

As a result of our improved drilling and completions we’re now seeing increased UR’s in the range of 500,000 to 750,000 barrels. Recent drilling complete cost for the Williston wells range from $6 to $8 million, gross.
In Q & A:
  • 14 - 16 fracture stages
  • Fracture: "We’re pumping sand for a bulk of the job and tailing with ceramics."
The question that is still not clear in my mind:
  • NDGS estimates 200,000 - 300,000 bbls EUR in each section in the major Bakken counties
  • Companies estimate 500,000 - 750,000 bbls EUR/well
  • If there is only one long lateral, that about makes sense
  • In the Sanish and the Parshall, we are seeing well in excess of one well/section
  • So, are we comparing apples and oranges? The companies look at EUR/well; the state looks at EUR/acreage

Low-Hanging Fruit in the Energy Sector

Americans have a habit of being wasteful because so much of what we have is inexpensive and/or easy to replace.

Energy is no exception. For decades energy has been relatively inexpensive in the United States and it was easy to ignore some of the inefficiencies in the energy sector. But with energy becoming more expensive, and/or the government putting in place new energy regulations, it is my contention that there is some "low-hanging fruit" in the energy arena in which to make a bit of money.

This is a "cut and paste" note from a longer note I sent my son-in-law. We had been discussing my contention, that within the energy sector, there must be some "low-hanging fruit."  This note should probably be cleaned up because it talks about much more than just "low-hanging fruit," but I hate re-writing.

Whatever.

Those interested in investing in Enbridge should find it very interesting:

So, here goes:
*****

Someone who reads my blog passed on to me that Enbridge (parent company of EEP) just bought a huge wind farm in Colorado; I remembered that Enbridge had bought a solar farm in Ontario and that brought me back to one our discussions some time ago.

I mentioned that with energy becoming more expensive, and the fact that energy in America (both the US and Canada)  has historically been quite "cheap," there must be a lot of "low-hanging fruit" -- or a lot of inefficiencies that could be transformed easily into money-paying ventures.

It appears Enbridge (a natural gas company has done just that).

1. WASTE HEAT RECOVERY FACILITIES: Enbridge has one of the longest natural gas pipelines (if not the longest) in North America, from NW Canada to Illinois. The compressor stations can take waste heat and generate enough electricity for 5,000 homes.

Enbridge operates four non-regulated waste heat recovery facilities located in Saskatchewan along the Alliance Pipeline.
Electricity is generated by harnessing the waste heat produced by Alliance Canada's gas turbines at its compressor stations and converting it to electrical energy. Each of the four units produce approximately 5 megawatts (MW) of power – enough energy to power the equivalent of approximately 5,000 homes.

Investors can invest in that project through the Enbridge Income Fund (ENF.UT).

2. HYBRID FUEL CELL: Enbridge put a hybrid fuel cell in its headquaraters parking lot to generate electricity from unused waste heat. The parking lot (22 parking spaces) generates enough electricity for 1,700 homes.

In 2008, Enbridge officially launched the world’s first hybrid fuel cell power plant that is designed for gas utility pressure reduction stations.

The plant converts unused pipeline energy, a byproduct of distributing natural gas to customers, into ultra-clean electricity. Built on approximately 22 parking spots in the company’s parking lot, the fuel cell operates without burning any fuel to produce about 2.2 megawatts of environmentally preferred, near zero-emissions electricity, enough to serve about 1,700 Ontario homes.

Enbridge has exclusive North American distribution rights for the hybrid fuel cell technology. We plan to replicate the plant throughout our distribution network in Ontario and market the hybrid fuel cell to other natural gas pipeline companies in North America.

3. So, this natural gas pipeline company has found some low-hanging fruit and converting it to money-making ventures.

4. Solar energy: But then, this natural gas pipeline company does something I never thought it would do -- it bought the Solar Farm in Ontaria, Canada from First Solar. I never thought anything of it at the time, but it is the world's largest solar cell farm -- yes, in the world -- of all places, it's located in Canada. It's a 40-MW farm, and now they will double it to 80 MW, and will be remain the largest in the world by far, until a 125-MW farm in Australia comes on line in 2012.

5. And Enbridge just bought its seventh (7th) wind farm -- this one is 75 miles west of Denver.

*****
That's it. There are more Enbridge stories below this one, posted within the last couple of days.

Enbridge reports earnings this week, July 28. Enbridge Energy Partners, L.C., reported earnings yesterday, blowing through estimates, reporting income 14 cents higher than forecast.

Fidelity Reports a Nice Well in the Sanish

Fidelity reports a nice well in the Sanish, an oil field mostly controlled by WLL:
  • 18345, 996, Fidelity, Deadwood Canyon Ranch 44-33H, Sanish
Head-to-head: these three wells are all on adjacent sections in the Sanish. They each had a rig on site on December 16, 2009. Adding more interest to this head-to-head competition is the fact that the Fladeland 12-15H-22 is in the same section as Fidelity's #16953. The latter reported an IP of 440 bbls/day on the July 9, 2009, NDIC daily activity report.
  • 18318, 1,929, WLL, Fladeland 11-10H, Sanish
  • 18302, 555, Fidelity, Fladeland 12-15H-22, Sanish
  • 18347, 2,301, WLL, Fladeland 44-9H, Sanish
These are two more Fidelity wells right in the "WLL-owned" Sanish:
  • 18346, 777, Fidelity, Deadwood Canyon Ranch 11-33H, Sanish -- among WLL wells with 1,500 boepd IPs
  • 18345, 996, Fidelity, Deadwood Canyon Ranch 44-33H, Sanish -- among WLL wells with 1,500 boepd IPs (again, the method for calculating IPs may be different; the NDIC reports might show these wells closer together in production)

Oasis Reports a Nice Well Northwest of Williston

It looks like Oasis is reporting a nice well:
In addition, Oasis has reported that the sister well on the same pad is plugged or producing.
  • 18418, DRL, Sandaker 5602 11-13H
These wells are about ten (10) miles north of the BEXP Olson wells which were among the first really great wells in this area. 

From the nomenclature for an Oasis well it is easy to determine where the well is located: the first four digits, in this case "5602" refers to T156N-102W. The last one/two numbers preceding the "H" (in most cases) is the section number. 

I believe Oasis has a fair amount of leased acreage in this area. These are the permits that Oasis has in the local area of this most recent well northwest of Williston (as of July 23, 2010):
  • 18623, Odin Jorgenson 5502 44-8H, Wildcat
  • 18799, Stowers 5502 43-8H, Squires
  • 18801, Contreras 5502 42-7H, Squires
  • 18802, Vuki 5502 42-7H, Squires
  • 18817, Kjos 5502 44-24H, Squires
  • Andre 5501 13-4H, Missouri Ridge
  • 19046, McFarland 5502 44-12H, Squires
  • 19097, Merritt 5693 11-24H, Alger
  • 19131, Somerset 5602 12-17H, Bull Butte
  • 19132, Ellis 5602 12-17H, Bull Butte
  • 19267, Holmes 5601 44-32H, Wildcat
  • 19235, Dixon 5602 44-34H, Wildcat
  • 19282, Bean 5703 42-34H, Bull Butte
  • 19307, Devon 5601 12-17H, Wildcat
  • 19308, Glover 5601 12-17H, Wildcat
These permits, in the same general area, have been canceled (no big deal: simply moved across the section line from section 8 to section 17 in the same township, same oil field, which by the way, has a rig on site):
  • 18914, Ellis 5602 42-8H, Bull Butte
  • 18915, Somerset 5602 42-8H, Bull Butte

Friday, July 23, 2010

Enbridge: Putting the Pieces Together

Locator: 10010ENB.

Quick Links

Enbridge Home Page
Enbridge Renewable Projects

Canadian-US Pipeline System

NEWS


March 25, 2026: update on Enbridge's Mainline Pipeline System; with Iran War even more important. 

November 14, 2025: long overdue -- an update of Enbridge's Mainline Pipeline System

March 1, 2023: update, Enbridge's EHOT, Flanagan South crude oil pipeline expansion.

September 18, 2019: Minnesota Supreme Court won't take case regarding Enbridge Line 3. The company and the state will be allowed to move forward.

June 3, 2019: well, that last win didn't last. The Minnesota State Court of Appeals ruled that the environmental impact statement for Enbridge Line 3 was inadequate.

March 28, 2019: Enbridge Line 3 wins (again) in Minnesota. 

February 5, 2019: Line 4 temporarily shut down in anticipation of protestors who planned to sabotage equipment/damage property. Line 4 segment relocation project: 3/4 of one mile.  

August 24, 2018: Enbridge to buy Spectra Energy Partners

March 30, 2017: Zacks update on Enbridge/Spectra Energy merger.

September 6, 2016: Enbridge to buy Spectra Energy

December 8 2015: The Dickinson Press is reporting that two Enbridge pipeline projects are stuck in Minnesota regulatory quagmire: the Sandpiper (new) and Line 3 replacement (it is deteriorating in Wisconsin).

November 30, 2015: Enbridge acquired a 100% interest in the 103-megawatt (MW) New Creek Wind Project for a total value of about $0.2 billion from independent U.S. renewable energy developer, EverPower Wind Holdings, LLC. However, the company’s shares fell 2.3% following this announcement. [$2 million / MW wind.]

November 6, 2015: Enbridge buys into UK off-shore wind for almost $6 million / MW.

July 7, 2015: for the archives -- Enbridge (EEP) assets

November 28, 2014: Line 3 update.

October 25, 2014: Line 9 update.

September 30, 2014: Enbridge eyes Mainline expansion

September 8, 2014: update on Clipper - Line 3 cross US/Canadian border

July 18, 2014: Enbridge dedicates a 300 MW-wind farm in Alberta, the largest wind farm in western Canada.  

June 7, 2014: Canadian government approves Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline, from Alberta, to the western British Canadian coast. It will be many years before this pipeline is completed (if ever).

March 18, 2014: update on the four Enbridge projects in northern Minnesota.

March 6, 2014: Enbridge to replace Line No. 3; Enbridge to reverse Line No. 9

September 30, 2013: Enbridge to build 50-km pipeline in Canadian oil sands to support Japanese/Chinese oil field. 

May 29, 2013: Platt's update on status of reversal of line 9A. Nothing new, but another look at the Enbridge status. 

March 10, 2013: under the radar. With the reversal of Enbridge's Line 9 (Detroit, MI/Sarnia, Ontario, to Montreal, Ontaria), Enbridge has options to move Canadian oil to east coast for export to Europe, and Bakken oil to east coast refineries in the US.  [The link may be "broken" temporarily; after posting, I put it into draft status to be posted at a later date when it might have more relevance.]

March 10, 2013: short summary on Enbridge projects

March 3, 2013: Enbridge reiterates it will not mix Bakken oil with Canadian sands heavy oil; the Sandpiper will be a twin pipeline.

February 15, 2013: Enbridge completing the America segment of the massive MATL wind energy transmission line from Canada and through Montana.

January 13, 2012: Enbridge announces another $600 million to be added to the "massive" $6.2 billion project announced in December.

December 7, 2012: $14.5 billion in new expansion.

December 6, 2012: Enbridge increases dividend.

November 25, 2012: so, now, Enbridge Rail to transport Bakken oil to Philadelphia-area refineries.

November 23, 2012: ENB announces it will add a 36-inch pipeline to its mainline system between Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Hardisty, Alberta, Canada. The segment will be just slightly more than 100 miles long. Cost: $1.8 billion; capacity eventually to 800,000 bopd. Does Hardisty ring a bell? TransCanada Corp. said Wednesday (May 9, 2012) it will proceed with the construction of an oil terminal in Hardisty, Alberta, which will serve as the starting point of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. More evidence that Enbridge continues to take advantage of President Obama's decision to kill Keystone XL 1.0.

November 1, 2012: superficial overview of ENB -- Motley Fool

October 22, 2012: Enbridge to buy some midstream assets from Encana, Peace River Arch region in northwest Alberta; $265 million (Canadian);
 

October 4, 2012: Enbridge says high capacity pipeline needed from the Bakken to Superior, Wisconsin
Enbridge talking about a new pipeline from the Bakken to Superior, Wisconsin.

"Fair to say it would be quite high capacity," he said. "If you look at the growth curve of the Bakken, there's no question that a conduit more 100,000 bbls a day, or 150,000 bbls a day, or 200,000 is probably needed."
August 18, 2012: front page story in the LA Times regarding Enbridge

August 8, 2012: EEP -- growth and dividends, at SeekingAlpha.com.
July 23, 2012: NTSB rules on Michigan 2010 Enbridge spill.

May 18, 2012: Enbridge announces expansion of capacity going east from the Bakken and Alberta.

April 27, 2012: Enbridge must be hitting on all cylinders; new 52-week high.

April 21, 2012: race between Enbridge and TransCanada to relieve congestion at Cushing.

April 13, 2012: ENB's Northern Gateway ($5.5 billion; to be completed in 2017) faces competition from Kinder Morgan's recently announced $5.0 billion TransMountain pipeline from Alberta to Vancouver. 

January 7, 2012:  EPP to build a $2 billion, 1,230-mile long ethane pipeline from Texas to Ohio, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia, the ATEX Express pipeline.

January 6, 2012: EPP and ENB to expand Seaway pipeline and build a new pipeline from Houston to Port Arthur giving shippers access to heavy refining.

January 6, 2012: Canadian government approves Enbridge application to build a Canadian pipeline just north of North Dakota to carry Bakken oil.

January 5, 2012: Why Enbridge entered the crude-by-rail industry.

January 3, 2011: Update on Enbridge and unit-trains.

December 28, 2011: Seaway reversal on track, but an even bigger story -- Enbridge to lay a new pipeline from Cushing to the Gulf. 

November 12, 2011: Focus on the east-west Enbridge pipeline now that the Keystone XL is dead.

November 12, 2011: Acquires 50% ownership in the Lac Alfred Wind Farm Project from EDF Canada

August 25, 2011: Enbridge pipeline gains traction.

July 26, 2011: archived investing stories on the family of Enbridge companies up to this date.

July 23, 2011: Enbridge's Beaver Lodge Loop pipeline project on track despite recent flooding.
The Beaver Lodge Loop Project is designed to add up to 145,000 barrels per day into the company's North Dakota System Berthold station.
July 7, 2011: Update of pipeline activity and projects it the Williston Basin

July 22, 2011: National Geographic and Enbridge.

July 7, 2011: Enbridge thinks about shipping oil to eastern Canada -- again.

Enbridge Inc is in talks with refiners and Western Canadian oil producers about establishing new pipeline access to Eastern refineries in a revamp of a concept it floated three years ago, an executive said on Wednesday.

The idea is to ship light crude oil to refineries in Quebec and beyond, which pay higher crude costs due to the wide pricing spread between oil on the Atlantic Coast compared with Western Canadian supply, said Richard Bird, Enbridge's chief financial officer.

Comment:  this story plus the IEA's recent panic-release of the SPR suggests refiners are having more and more difficulty getting enough of the "right kind" of oil to their sites.
June 22, 2011: ENB looks to increase capacity by building a railroad oil loading facility west of Minot, near Berthold.

April 2, 2011: reminder -- ENB recomends a 2:1 stock split, effective May 25, 2011.

February 21, 2011: Enbridge is a "rock." SeekingAlpha.

February 14, 2011: Enbridge Energy pipeline expansion secures 100,000 bpd capacity commitments Co and Enbridge Income Fund Holdings announced that additional shippers have finalized capacity commitments to the Bakken Expansion Program. The expansion program is being undertaken on the Enbridge North Dakota System owned by EEP, and the Enbridge Saskatchewan System, owned by the Enbridge Income Fund. The total cost of the program is expected to be $560 million. The added capacity from this expansion will be 145,000 bpd, of which 25,000 bpd will be available by early 2011 following completion of the Portal Reversal Expansion Project, and the remaining 120,000 bpd by late 2012. Under the applicable regulatory arrangements a maximum of 115,000 bpd can be held by committed shippers and at least 30,000 bpd must be reserved for uncommitted volumes.

February 14, 2011: News article updating Enbridge's plans in North Dakota and Saskatchewan. This is a $560 million expansion program; I think it's all been discussed before. New information:
Enbridge pipelines ship the bulk of Canada’s oil exports to the United States. The expansion program will be handled through two affiliated companies: Enbridge Energy Partners LP and Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc.

The expansion will take the oil to a connection with Enbridge’s main line systems at Cromer, Manitoba, where it can be shipped to refineries in the U.S. Midcontinent and Central Canada.

The company said 25,000 bpd of the new capacity will be available early this year with the remaining 120,000 bpd in place by late 2012.
February 2, 2011: buys 15 MW-Amherstburg II (Ontario) and 5 MW-Tibury (Calgary).

December 1, 2010: ENB increases dividend by 15%, from 42.5 cents to 49 cents/share.

November 24, 2010: Retirement portfolio includes ENB.

October 18, 2010: MLPs rise to new record highs.

October 5, 2010: ENB considering Monarch Pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma, to Houston. ENB also stated that earnings and payouts would not be affected by recent spills.

July 30, 2010: EEP will buy Elk City natural gas gathering and processing system from Atlas Pipeline Partners LP; 800 miles of pipeline in Texas panhandle and southwestern Oklahoma; $682 million in cash.

July 27, 2010: oil spill in Midwest.

July 22, 2010: Enbridge to double pipeline capacity in the Bakken? 

July 13, 2010: Enbridge affiliate (EEP?) to buy 250 MW wind farm east of Denver, CO

February 16, 2010: Seeking Alpha -- Enbridge's Vast Potential 

December 8, 2010:  Enbridge expanding Sarnia Solar Project to 80 MW

October 3, 2009: Enbridge buys 2nd largest solar farm in Canada from First Solar

Pipeline, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dick Dale

This is how this page began: With the recent "hint" that Enbridge might double its pipeline capacity in the Bakken, I thought this was a good time to sort out Enbridge.

OVERVIEW AND LINKS

Enbridge: ENB.

Enbridge US Operations.
Enbridge Income Fund: ENF.UN
Pipeline Projects
Unit Trains
Wind Farms
Solar Farms

Hybrid Fuel Cell

Waste Heat Recovery Facilities:

Enbridge Income Fund and NRGreen Power partnership along the Alliance Pipeline

Alliance Pipeline: 50% owned by Enbridge; other 50% owned by Veresen.

***************************************

ENB Corporate website: renewable energy portfolio.