Two independents entering Alberta Bakken

Despite predictions that Montana’s Alberta Bakken is not an economically viable oil play, two independent exploration companies have recently announced plans to pursue prospects in the southern end of the Alberta Bakken in Lewis and Clark County southwest of Great Falls on the Rocky Mountain Front.

Texas-based Norstra Energy announced on March 18 that it had entered into an agreement with its operator, Summit West Oil LLC, to proceed with the drilling and completion of the company’s first well in its South Sun River project that will target what Norstra calls an over-pressured Bakken shale resource play within the Bakken fairway. Norstra’s first well is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31, 2013. The company has plans for a second well to be completed by June 30, 2013, and a third by Dec. 31, 2014.

More recently, Norstra said April 22 that the company’s management and technical team recently met with its operator to review current operations and establish drilling guidelines for drilling the South Sun River project. Norstra reports the South Sun River project consists of over 11,300 acres, and cites reported production estimates of 10 million to 15 million barrels of oil per square mile in certain areas.

On April 12, Washington, D.C.-based Eco-Trade Corp., said it had signed a letter of intent with a European syndicate fund to secure financing for development of that company’s first Alberta Bakken well in its South Bakken prospect, also in northern Lewis and Clark County. Eco-Trade says its South Bakken prospect totals over 5,800 acres with estimated recoverable reserves of between 80 and 120 million barrels of oil.

—Mike Ellerd

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