Two (2) New Permits -- A Very Nice Hess Well (prior -- AEZ) -- North Dakota, USA

Producers: Whiting and Petro-Hunt.

Fields: Elkhorn Ranch (southwest area of the state) and North Tioga.

Several wells released from confidential status: all mediocre based on IPs, except for an American Oil and Gas (AEZ) well now owned by Hess:

• 19199, 1,248, Hodenfield 15-7H, Bakken. This was a wildcat in "prime" AEZ acreage, now part of Hess' Goliath prospect, 7.5 miles northwest of Ray.

World Oil Supply Tightening, Demand Increasing; Estimates Revised Upward

IEA (Paris-based), raised oil estimates:

• 2010 (last year): up 2.7 million bopd more than 2009, to 87.7 million bopd
• 2011: 89.1 million bopd

Chinese demand reached a new record high last November at 10.2 million b/d, largely on rising gas oil use, accounting for roughly half of Asia’s increase and for almost a third of total non-OECD growth.

The call for OPEC crude is revised upward for 2011 to 29.9 million b/d from last year’s 29.6 million b/d, and IEA notes that OPEC’s effective spare production capacity has dipped below 5 million b/d for the first time in 2 years. 

In the fourth quarter of 2010, oil markets tightened as demand outweighed supply by 700,000 b/d, IEA said. Recent price strength, notably for international benchmark crude Brent, poses an economic risk, the agency warns, if $100/bbl oil becomes entrenched this year.

And Japan's imports rose 11 percent in November compared to year earlier.

Great New AEZ Well -- It's a Hess Well Now -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

19199, 1,248, AEZ (Hess), Hodenfield 15-7H, Wildcat, Bakken.

Electricity Out at Bismarck -- Capital, North Dakota

For those who have not been able to connect to NDIC's website today: apparently they lost electricity the entire day at the capitol. Electricity may not be back on until this evening (Tuesday, January 18, 2011).

I knew they should not have switched over to wind power.

[Update: electricity is back on at the Capitol; Tuesday night, January 18, 2011.]

Gramma Sharon's in the Heart of the Bakken -- Celebrates 25 Years

Link here. It's in a regional newspaper so the link will be broken soon.

Gramma Sharon's family restaurant celebrated 25 years of service on Monday by offering 25-cent cookies and free coffee and cake.

The restaurant was originally located north of town in the Conoco Truck stop where Lonnie's Roadhouse Cafe currently resides. They moved to their new location at 1501 16th Street West in 2002.

"Gramma" Sharon Blotsky retired in 2006 and her daughter Penny Groth, who has worked in the restaurant for 20 years, took over the business.