Marathon Oil and Gas and XTO Energy lead in spacing unit applications submitted to the North Dakota Industrial Commission for consideration during hearings scheduled for July 30 and 31. While most of the new spacing unit requests focused on Dunn and McKenzie counties, applications indicate new drilling activity is planned Billings, McLean, Burke and Divide counties, as well as some lesser activity in Mountrail and Williams counties.
In Dunn County, Marathon and XTO, along with Hess Corp., collectively are requesting the creation of 15 new spacing units in five separate fields extending from the south-central to the northwest areas of the county. Of those 15 spacing units, 10 are overlapping 2,560-acre spacing units and five are overlapping 1,280-acre units.
Marathon wants to establish a total of nine overlapping 2,560-acre spacing units. Four of the spacing units are in the Bailey and Chimney Butte fields, and the other three are in the Murphy Creek field. The three fields are contiguous in central Dunn County. Marathon then wants permission to drill one or more horizontal Bakken pool wells on each of the new 2,560-acre units.
XTO is asking the commission to create five overlapping 1,280-acre spacing units in the Murphy Creek field in south-central Dunn County. XTO is also seeking permission to drill multiple Bakken pool wells on each unit.
In the Big Gulch and Little Knife fields in northwest Dunn County, Hess is asking the commission to create a single overlapping 2,560-acre spacing unit. Hess wants the new spacing unit created so it can drill one or more horizontal wells between the existing 1,280-acre units, one of which is in the Big Gulch field and the other is in the Little Knife field.
McKenzie County activity
In McKenzie County, XTO filed applications to create one overlapping 1,280-acre spacing unit and one overlapping 2,560-acre unit in the Siverston field in the north-central part of the county. XTO is also seeking permission to drill one Bakken pool well on the new 2,560-acre unit and up to 10 Bakken pool wells on the new 1,280-acre unit.
In the Charlson field in northwest McKenzie County, XTO wants to establish one new 1,280-acre spacing unit and is seeking permission to drill up to seven Bakken pool wells in the unit.
In northern McKenzie County, Whiting Oil and Gas filed for an overlapping 2,560-acre spacing unit from two existing 1,280-acre units, one in the Twin Valley field and the other in the Westberg field. In addition, Whiting is asking for the establishment of another overlapping 2,560-acre spacing unit entirely in the Twin Valley field. The purpose of both 2,560-acre units is so the company can drill one or more horizontal wells between the 1,280-acre units comprising the 2,560-acre units. Twin Valley is a small field consisting of only six sections.
Petro-Hunt filed for the establishment of two overlapping 1,280-acre spacing units in the Charlson field, where it wants to drill up to seven horizontal Bakken pool wells on each of the new spacing units.
In the Antelope-Sanish pool in northeast McKenzie County, Hess is asking to eliminate a 1,220-foot horizontal well setback requirement, and then establish an overlapping 2,560-acre spacing unit. Hess is also seeking permission to drill one or more wells on the new spacing unit.
In northwest McKenzie County, Continental Resources wants to create an overlapping 1,280-acre spacing unit from two sections that are within and/or near the field boundaries of the Elm Tree-Bakken, Phelps Bay-Bakken and Antelope-Sanish pools. Continental also wants permission to drill up to 10 wells on the new spacing unit.
Oasis Petroleum filed for the establishment of one 2,560-acre spacing unit in the Camp field in far northern McKenzie County in which it wants to drill one or more horizontal Bakken pool wells.
In the Covered Bridge field in southwest McKenzie County, Peregrine Petroleum Partners wants to create a 1,280-acre spacing unit in which the company plans to drill no more than two wells. The Covered Bridge field is one of the smaller fields in the Bakken consisting of only two sections, each of which is currently designated as a 640-acre spacing unit.
Divide and Burke activity
In Divide County, Samson Resources is asking to establish two 5,120-acre spacing units, two 4,160-acre spacing units, and one 2,560-acre spacing unit in the West Ambrose and/or Ambrose fields, which lie along the Canadian border in north-central Divide County. Samson wants to drill multiple wells on or near the section lines of each spacing unit.
Baytex Energy USA is asking the commission to create two overlapping 1,280-acre spacing units in Divide County, one in the Ambrose field and the other in the Whiteaker field. Baytex is also asking to drill up to seven wells on each of the new spacing units. The Ambrose field lies just below the Canadian border, and the Whiteaker field lies just below the Ambrose field.
In central Burke County, Cornerstone Natural Resources is asking the commission to amend applicable orders for the Northeast Foothills Bakken pool to include two sections that are currently not included in that field. Cornerstone then wants to create two 1,280-acre spacing units, each including one of the sections to be added to the field. Cornerstone is also seeking permission to drill one horizontal Bakken pool well on each of the new Northeast Foothills spacing units.
In the Little Butte field, also in central Burke County, Cornerstone filed an application to form one 1,280-acre unit in which the company wants to drill one horizontal Bakken pool well.
Other spacing unit apps
Along the east side of Lake Sakakawea in far western McLean County, SHD Oil and Gas is asking the commission to establish a 2,560-acre unit in the Deep Water Creek Bay field. SHD also wants to drill up to 12 Bakken pool wells on the unit.
In far northwest Billing County, Peregrine is asking for the creation of one 1,280-acre spacing unit in the Buckhorn field. Peregrine wants to drill up to three wells on the new spacing unit.
In Williams County, Zenergy Inc. applied to form two 2,560-acre spacing units in Eightmile field in the far southern part of the county. A portion of one of the 2,560-acre units crosses into McKenzie County. Zenergy is also seeking permission to drill one horizontal Bakken pool well on each of the two new units.
Continental is seeking the establishment of one overlapping 2,560-acre spacing unit in the Oliver field in central Williams County and is seeking permission to drill multiple horizontal wells in the new spacing unit.
In Mountrail County, Hess is asking to create one 2,560-acre spacing unit in the Alkali Creek field in the southwest region of the county for the purpose of drilling one or more horizontal wells between the 1,280-acre units comprising the 2,560-acre unit.
—Mike Ellerd
