Truax Oil Field Update

Permits

Truax field: 70 sections

As of permit #23709: 50 permits/wells

70 x 4 wells = 280 wells

70 x 8 wells = 560 wells

2012:

• 23709, conf, KOG,
• 23708, conf, KOG,
• 23644, conf, Hess,
• 23643, conf, Hess,
• 23642, conf, Hess,
• 23486, conf, Hess,
• 23485, conf, Hess,
• 23373, conf, KOG,
• 23325, conf, Hess,
• 23324, conf, Hess,
• 23300, conf, Hess,
• 23299, conf, Hess,
• 23184, conf, Hess,
• 23183, conf, Hess,
• 23182, conf, Hess,
• 23131, conf, Hess,
• 23130, conf, Hess,
• 23129, conf, Hess,
• 23128, conf, Hess,
• 22946, conf, Hess,
• 22945, conf, Hess,
• 22612, conf, Hess,
• 22338, conf, KOG, Thomas 154-98-15-33-28-1H3, Truax, t5/12; cum 63K 8/12;
• 22190, conf, KOG/North Plains, P Vance 154-97-2-17-5-5H, t712; cum 23K 8/12;
• 22189, conf, KOG/North Plains, P Vance 154-97-2-17-20-15H, t7/12; cum 26K 8/12;

2011 Permits

• 22086, conf, KOG,
• 22074, conf, KOG,
• 21822, 3,000, KOG/North Plains, Thomas 154-98-15-33-28-2H, t5/12; cum 88K 8/12;
• 21817, 2.524, KOG/North Plains Energy, Jorgenson 5-14H, Truax, t9/12; cum 40K 10/12;
• 21328, 1,411, XTO, Truax State 11X-16, t2/12; cum 48K 8/12;
• 21037, 684, Hess, Gene 8-1H, t6/12; cum 33K 8/12;
• 20875, PNC, North Plains,
• 20857, 358, KOG/North Plains, Pankowski 4-6H, t2/2; cum 55K 8/12;
• 20856, 1,349, KOG/North Plains, King 3-8H, t1/12; cum 44K 8/12;
• 20543, 1,031, KOG/North Plains, Evitt 16-12H, t8/12; cum 81K 8/12;
• 20518, 1,067, KOG/North Plains, Reiger 9-11h, t10/11; cum 101K 8/12;
• 20503, conf, XTO,
• 20467, 1,167, KOG/North Plains, Netz 9-21H, t11/11; cum 85K 8/12;
• 20272, 800, Hess/Tracker, SC-Norman 154-98-3130H-1, t10/11; cum 120K 8/12;

2010 Permits

• 20055, 723, Hess/Tracker, Ellingsberg 32-1H, t9/11; cum 111K 8/12;
• 19970, 502, KOG/North Plains, Nelson 5-18H, t8/11; cum 41K 8/12;
• 19962, conf, KOG/Newfield,
• 19879, PNC, North Plains,
• 19857, 1,533, KOG/North Plains, Wood 5-15H, t11/11; cum 85K 8/12;
• 19663, 1,448, Hess/Tracker, JCB 17-1H, t3/11; cum 154K 8/12;
• 19481, 1,094, Hess/Tracker, Barney 18-1H, t1/12; cum 114K /12;
• 19405, 919, KOG/North Plains, Kirby 9-7H, t11/11; cum 59K 8/12;
• 19189, 1,213, Hess/Tracker, T R Slette 18-1H 153-98, t2/11; cum 138K 8/12;
• 19188, 1,460, Hess/Tracker Scanlan 17-1TH, t11/10; cum 129K 8/12;
• 18770, 819, KOG/North Plains, Scanlan 3-5H, t9/10; cum 144K 8/12;
• 18710, conf, KOG/North Plains,
• 18664, 746, KOG/North Plains, Eide 5-13H, t8/10; cum 126K 8/12;

Updates

December 14, 2012: KOG with permits for eleven (11) wells in one section, and all will be long laterals running north-to-south in the same spacing unit.

May 14, 2012: KOG reports two nice wells in Polar prospect; note in the original post about North Plains. KOG bought North Plains.

KOG reports results of two wells in Truax oil field, north of the river, just a bit northwest of the bull's eye of the Bakken:

• 22338, 2,454, KOG, Thomas 154-98-15-33-28-1H3, 28 stages,
• 21822, 3,000, KOG, Thomass 154-98-15-33-28-2H, 34 stages, 

Original Post

I was asked about the meaning of my shorthand note regarding NDIC hearing docket and Truax-Bakken field:

Case 14519: North Plains, extend Truax-Bakken by one 1280-acre unit; 6 wells, Wms

That was shorthand for:

"... application extending the field boundaries and amending the field rules for the Truax-Bakken Pool to create one 1280-acre spacing unit in Zone VI comprised of Sections 14 and 23, T.153N., R.98W., Williams County, ND, authorizing the drilling of up to six horizontal wells in the above spacing unit..."

"Wms," of course, is my abbreviation for Williams County.

Truax oil field is a fairly good-size oil field in the Williston Basin. It is currently about 61 sections, but is somewhat irregular in shape and most likely some of the sections adjacent to the field will be added to Truax field, making it a bit more regular (as per case 14519, noted above).

The field is immediately east of the Stockyard Creek oil field which has garnered a bit of interest due to Samson Oil and Gas wells there.

Truax oil field is on the north side of the river, east of Williston, North Dakota. Taking state highway 1804 east from Williston to Truax oil field is one of the prettiest drives in the local area. If I am not mistaken, the Lewis and Clark State Park is located in Truax field. Regardless, Lewis and Clark State Park is located 21 miles east/southeast of Williston. Take state highway 1804 east out of Williston for about 17 miles before turning right (south) off the highway.

By the way, just before entering the state park, one can continue straight west along the river and end up at a "village" of thirty to forty summer homes on Long Creek. It is a very, very beautiful and inviting recreational area.

Back to Truax oil field: of note, several sections are under the Missouri River, and the two sections noted in Case 14519 above (14/23-154-98) are both under the river.

This is a fairly active field, with two rigs on site, and several wells on the confidential list. Hess has a few permits in this field, but North Plains easily has the most permits in this field.

By the way, NDIC mentions various "zones" in this field. It is my understanding that with bigger fields, the state may break the field down into zones with each zone having different rules. I don't know that for sure, but that is my hunch. It seems to me I read that somewhere before.

It's hard to believe, but North Plains had a Bakken horizontal well (very short horizontal) in this field that was spudded in 1990. It was a very low producer and has since been converted into a salt water disposal well.

Two Hess long-lateral wells that extended under the river, spudded late 2010/early 2011, had very nice IPs of about 1,500 each (permits 19188 and19189, on adjacent sections).

It appears that the only North Plains well that is off the confidential list is  the Scanlan well, permit 18770, spudded in late 2010, and has produced over 71,000 bbls as of April, 2011. That is a very decent well.