The Heart of the Bakken Doubles Its Revenue: $1 Million in Revenue -- Williston, North Dakota, USA

Revenue from the Williams County Treasurer-Recorder's Office and Building Department
came to more than $1.076 million. Of this, more than $980,000 will go into the county's General Fund. The rest will go to other county funds.

This was more than double the $473,000 collected in 2009. Of that year's revenue, more than $426,000 went into the General Fund.

And I think I read recently, Williston parks and recreation was still struggling for money, but maybe my memory is faulty. [Update: yes, I knew I wasn't dreaming. Williston is considering adding one cent to the sales tax to pay for Williston Parks and Recreation budget. Despite all the oil activity in the heart of the Bakken it seems when it comes to taxation, it's business as usual. Posted January 8, 2010.]

It would be interesting to know what Williston's revenues were in 2006, just before the current boom and before the recession.

Investors Only: Oasis Update -- Current Presentation -- North Dakota, USA

Investors may be interested in looking at Oasis' current presentation.

Some highlights from the January, 2011,  presentation:

Two prospects in the Bakken

• West Williston, 201,700 net acres (North Dakota and Montana)
• Nesson Anticline, 131,000 net acres

Over 2,600 potential drilling sites
Oasis will add one rig in 2011; going from six to seven rigs
Slide 8: "primarily focused on Bakken" -- that might be the cake; the Three Folks will be the frosting?
EUR: 400 - 700 thousand bbls of oil
Cost per well completion: $7 million; 28 stage, 10,000-foot lateral; 65/35 ceramic mix
2011 CAPEX:

• 69 gross operated wells
• 47 net operated wells
• 53 net wells (operated and non-operated)
• Reminder: 7 rigs
• So, if I understand this correctly, Oasis will use its 7 rigs to drill 69 wells total. That makes sense: about 10 wells/rig over the course of the year

Costs/boe (I am not sure if I have interpreted slides 19 and 20 correctly)

• LOE ($/bbl):  $7.00 (slide 19)
• G&A ($/bbl): $10.00 (slide 20)
• Total: $17/bbl?

These numbers, by the way, are in the same ball park as CLR, which states in their most recent presentation that their "total cash costs" are $16.71/bbl (slide 23). 

How and Where the Sweet Spot of the Bakken Was Formed -- North Dakota, USA

This is a link to a very nice PowerPoint slide presentation on how and where the "sweet spot" in the Bakken was formed. It was sent to me by someone who noted it at the Bakken Shale Discussion Board.

This is a PDF file so it may take a moment to download.

I will also link this presentation at one of my "welcome" or "overview" postings.

Studies Suggest Folks Underestimating Growth of Cities and Towns In North Dakota Due to Oil

Link here.

This was from the January 6, 2011, edition of the Minot Daily Press. Generally links to these small regional newspapers are lost fairly quickly.

Here are some highlights:

• A study that shows the population of key cities in the Bakken more than doubling in 25 years may be conservative, according to city officials.
• The study projected another 10,957 residents in the communities of Williston, New Town, Parshall, Watford City, Stanley and Tioga. The largest share, 7,365 residents, is forecast for Williston through 2025. Accommodating those residents would require another 5,477 permanent and temporary housing units.
• Parshall Mayor Richard Bolkan said the projected 1,812 population peak for his city seems low, although he agreed with the study that access to housing is going to be a factor in how much growth occurs. Parshall could see more than 3,000 residents if it had the housing, he said.
• One spokesman noted that the study only looked at oil drilling and not employment projections related to developments like a gas plant recently proposed [and approved] for Watford City. It also didn't consider growth from other sectors of the economy or the effect of rural growth around the city, which has been tremendous, he said. Still, the figures provide a starting point.

Super-Long Laterals -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Please see the comments regarding super long laterals at this posting (the comments).

I will try to do a stand-alone posting when I have more time.

A big "thank you" to "Tom."

(By the way, I did post something along this line back in September, 2010.  What a great site. Smile.)