Most of the activity in drilling and spacing unit applications that the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation will consider in hearings on Oct. 16 in Billings remains focused on the Bakken, primarily in Richland and Roosevelt counties. However, exploration and production in pools other than the traditional Williston Basin Bakken continues from far eastern Montana across the north-central region of the state to the Southern Alberta Bakken.
Leading in new well applications is Emerald Oil, which is asking the board for authorization to drill up to five horizontal Bakken/Three Forks formation wells on each of seven temporary drill spacing units, DSUs, in eastern Richland County for a total of 35 new Bakken system wells. Four of the spacing units are 1,920 acres and the other three are 1,280s.
Whiting Oil and Gas Corp. is requesting permanent status for two temporary 1,280-acre DSUs in eastern Richland County where the company has one producing Bakken/Three Forks formation well on each. Whiting is also seeking authorization to drill up to three additional wells on each unit. Also in eastern Richland County the company is seeking authorization to drill up to four common-pad horizontal Bakken/Three Forks formation wells on each of two temporary DSUs.
Slawson Exploration Co. is asking for authorization to drill two additional horizontal Bakken/Three Forks wells on two permanent 1,280-acre spacing units and one additional well on another 1,280, all in central Richland County. Slawson is also asking the board to incorporate those 1,280s into two new temporary overlapping 2,560-acre units.
Continental Resources is seeking permanent status for two temporary 1,280-acre units, one in north-central Richland County and another in central Richland County. Also in central Richland County, Continental is seeking the creation of a 5,280-acre DSU along with authorization to drill an additional horizontal Bakken/Three Forks well on a permanent 1,280.
SM Energy is asking for a temporary 1,280-acre DSU in eastern Richland County and authorization to drill three common-pad horizontal Bakken/Three Forks formation wells on the unit.
Kraken Oil & Gas is asking for a 1,280-acre laydown unit, most of which lies in Richland County but a portion extends across the Missouri River into Roosevelt County. Kraken wants to drill one horizontal Bakken/Three Forks well on the spacing unit.
Also in Roosevelt County, Oasis Petroleum is seeking permanent status for a 1,280-acre unit in far eastern Roosevelt County along with authorization to drill up to four additional Bakken/Three Forks wells on that unit. Oasis wants to drill two additional Bakken/Three Forks wells on each of three permanent overlapping 5,280-acre DSUs in southeast Roosevelt County.
Also in Roosevelt County, EOG Resources is seeking permanent status for a 1,280-acre unit on which it has one producing Bakken/Three Forks well. EOG also wants authorization to drill one additional well on the unit.
Statoil Oil & Gas is also seeking permanent status for a 1,280 in Roosevelt County and authorization to drill up to four additional wells on the unit where it currently has one producing well.
Anadarko E&P Onshore is seeking permanent status for a spacing unit just below the Canadian Border in northern Toole County east of the Rocky Mountain Front in north-central Montana “for production of horizontal Bakken/Three Forks Formation oil and associated natural gas” from an existing well on the unit. The spacing unit consists of one full section along with 160 acres and two lots in an adjacent section. Details on the well are not yet available in the board’s database, but the area is located over what is commonly known as the Southern Alberta Bakken or the Alberta Fairway between the Rocky Mountain Front and the Sweetgrass Arch.
Also in Toole County, Normont Energy is seeking the creation of a temporary 640-acre unit “for all gas-bearing zones and formations from the top of the Duperow formation to the base of the Cambrian formation.”
To the south in Pondera County, Black Butte Energy wants the board to create spacing units for four of the company’s wells, all of which are identified in the board’s database as oil wells.
Anadarko also filed an application to comingle oil in a well producing from both the Nisku and Charles C formations in Valley County in northeast Montana.
Denbury Onshore filed an application seeking authorization to convert an existing Red River well in Wibaux County into an enhanced recovery injection well.
In Dawson County, Slawson Exploration is asking the board to create three temporary 640-acre spacing units and authorize drilling of one horizontal Dawson Bay formation well in each.
Interstate Explorations filed an application seeking permanent status for a temporary 320-acre spacing unit in Dawson County for continued production from a Red River formation well on the unit. In neighboring Wibaux County Interstate filed one application seeking creation of a temporary 640-acre unit and authorization to drill a horizontal lower Lodgepole formation well. In a separate application, Interstate is asking for permission to incorporate that section into a new, temporary 1,280-acre unit and allow the drilling of another lower Lodgepole formation well.
- Mike Ellerd
