Hess Corp. led in the number of new spacing unit requests filed in applications with the North Dakota Industrial Commission in August. Hess is asking the commission to create 27 overlapping spacing units of varying acreage in three western North Dakota counties. The applications are on the docket for Aug. 28 and 29 hearings.
In the Blue Buttes field in McKenzie County, Hess asks that the commission create 10 new overlapping 2,560-acre spacing units, and in the Hawkeye-Bakken and Antelope-Sanish pools in McKenzie County, Hess asks for five new overlapping 2,560-acre units.
Separately, Hess wants the commission to create five more overlapping 2,560s in the Antelope-Sanish pool alone, and one 2,560 in the Blue Buttes-Bakken and/or Spotted Horn-Bakken pools, all in McKenzie County.
In addition, Hess is asking the commission to create two overlapping 2,560s in the Robinson Lake Bakken pool, one in the Manitou and/or Big Butte Bakken pool in Mountrail County, and the other in the Alkali Creek-Bakken pool in McKenzie County.
Hess also requests an overlapping 2,560-acre unit in the Hawkeye, Union Center and/or Clear Creek-Bakken pool, in McKenzie County, and another in the Big Gulch-Bakken pool in Dunn County.
In all of the 27 new units, Hess wants to drill one or more horizontal wells between the individual spacing units that will comprise the overlapping units.
Corinthian’s Spearfish/Madison units
Calgary-based Corinthian Exploration (USA) Corp. wants the commission to create 20 new 320-acre spacing units and one new overlapping 160-acre unit in northern Bottineau County near the Canadian border. Corinthian is looking to drill up to 252 new wells on the 21 spacing units.
Nineteen of the 20 spacing units are in or near the Haram field where the company wants to drill up to 12 Red Rock-Spearfish/Madison pool wells on each unit. The other unit is adjacent to the Cimbel field where Corinthian wants to drill up to 12 Roth-Spearfish/Madison pool wells.
The 160-acre unit that Corinthian wants created is in the Souris field where the company wants to drill up to five horizontal Souris-Spearfish/Madison pool wells.
Whiting looking for 2,560s
Whiting Oil and Gas is asking the commission to create nine overlapping 2,560-acre spacing units in the Pleasant Hill, Ellsworth, and or Juniper fields in central McKenzie County. The company wants to drill one horizontal well at or near the common boundaries of the sections comprising the overlapping units.
Whiting also wants the commission to create one 2,560-acre unit in the Timber Creek and/or Arnegard fields, also in the central region of the county, and another in the Sioux and/or Lonesome fields in northwest region of the county. In those units the company again wants to drill one horizontal well at or near the common boundaries of the sections comprising the overlapping units
XTO and Samson Resources apps
XTO Energy is asking that the commission create six overlapping 1,280-acre spacing units, five in the Murphy Creek-Bakken pool in Dunn County, and one in the Siverston-Bakken pool in McKenzie County. XTO is also asking for the creation of one 2,560-acre unit, also in the Siverston-Bakken pool. The company wants to drill “multiple” wells on the five 1,280s and one on the 2,560 in the Murphy Creek field, and up to 10 on the 1,280 in the Siverston field.
Tulsa-based Samson Resources Co. is asking that the commission create one 5,120-acre unit, one 4,160-acre unit and three 1,280-acre units, all in the company’s Ambrose focus area in north-central Divide County. The 5,120-acre unit and one of the 1,280-acre units are in the Ambrose-Bakken pool. The 4,160-acre unit is in the West Ambrose-Bakken pool which borders the Ambrose field on the west. The remaining two 1,280-acre units are in the Blooming Prairie-Bakken pool, which borders the Ambrose field on the east. Samson Resources is seeking authorization to drill multiple wells on each.
Other spacing unit requests
Zenergy Inc. wants four 2,560-acre units created in the Foreman Butte-Bakken pool in McKenzie County for the purpose of drilling six wells on each. Statoil wants two 1,440-acre units created in Briar Creek-Bakken pool in McKenzie and Williams counties where it too wants to drill up to six wells on each. WPX Energy is asking that the commission create two 1,280-acre units in the Reunion Bay-Bakken pool in Mountrail and Dunn counties where it wants to drill up to seven wells on each.
In the Tobacco Garden-Bakken pool in McKenzie County, Newfield Production Co. wants one 2,560-acre unit created where it wants to drill one horizontal well across the section lines separating two laydown 1,280-acre units. Newfield is also asking the commission to create two 1,280-acre units in the Lost Bridge-Bakken pool in Dunn County and authorize the drilling of multiple wells on each. In that same application Newfield seeks authorization to drill multiple wells on each of three existing 640-acre in the same field.
Peregrine Petroleum Partners is asking the commission to create two 1,280-acre units, one in either the Covered Bridge or Pierre Creek-Bakken pools in McKenzie County, and the other in the Buckhorn-Bakken pool in Billings County. Peregrine wants to drill up to two wells on the McKenzie County spacing unit and up to three wells on the Billings County unit.
Hunt Oil Co. wants the commission to create two overlapping 2,560-acre units in the Werner-Bakken pool, and another 2,560-acre unit in the Wolf Bay-Bakken pool, both in Dunn County. Hunt wants to drill one horizontal well on each of the new spacing units.
QEP is also asking the commission to establish a new 1,280-acre unit in the Grail field in northeast McKenzie County where the company wants to drill one horizontal well (see related story on page 5).
In the Reunion Bay and/or Big Ben-Bakken pools in Mountrail County, Marathon Oil Co. wants the commission to create one overlapping 2,560-acre unit for the drilling of one or more horizontal wells.
In the Wolf Bay-Bakken pool in Dunn County, Marathon is asking the commission to split up an existing 2,560-acre unit and reestablish two former 1,280-acre units. Marathon drilled a well across two of the four sections comprising the 2,560, but says it does not anticipate drilling any wells on the other section, and believes disestablishing the 2,560 is appropriate to “protect correlative rights, prevent waste, and prevent the drilling of unnecessary wells.”
Other non-Bakken requests
In other non-Bakken system requests, Continental Resources is asking the commission to create a 320-acre unit in the Medicine Pole Hills field in southwest Bowman County. Continental also wants authorization to drill one horizontal well in the Red River “C” and “D” zones.
In Golden Valley County, Whiting is asking that the commission create two separate 320-acre spacing units where it wants to drill one vertical Red River well in each. These spacing units are not within established fields.
—Mike Ellerd
