1 Calgary junior Tartan Energy Inc. plans a 170-well development drilling program targeting shallow Pliocene Etchegoin formations between 200 and 2,200 ft. in Lost Hills Field, Kern County, Calif. The company has drilled six successful appraisal wells drilled during the last 18 months, five of which were vertical tests and one of which was horizontal. The first phase of the project calls for 15 wells, and is expected to cost $1.575 million. 2 Berry Petroleum, Bakersfield, Calif., reports that it is increasing its 2002 drilling budget to $27.1 million, and that it plans to drill 88 new wells, of which 15 will be horizontal producers. The company is primarily a heavy oil producer; its main properties are in Midway-Sunset Field, Kern County, Calif. 3 A reentry in Roosevelt Field, Billings County, N.D., has reestablished Duperow production. Pearland, Texas-based Griffon & Associates LLC flowed 347 bbl. of oil, 222,000 cu. ft. of gas and 10 bbl. of water per day from perforations in the Duperow "B" between 10,528-45 ft., measured depths. The company redrilled a horizontal Bakken well that had been completed in 1991, says IHS Energy Group. 4 The #1-6 Eckert is a Silurian Interlake discovery in Indian Hill Field, McKenzie County, N.D. Operator Westport Oil & Gas Co. LP, Denver, pumped 114 bbl. of oil, 73,000 cu. ft. of gas and 426 bbl. of water per day through perforations between 12,397-12,418 ft. The well was originally drilled to 13,730 ft. in 1984 and completed as a Red River producer. 5 Two high-volume wells have been completed in Wyoming's Sublette County in the prolific Cretaceous Lance play. EnCana Corp. finaled the #10-14 Yellow Point, Section 14-28n-109w, flowing at the rate of 9 million cu. ft. of gas, 144 bbl. of condensate and 13 bbl. of water per day. The well is producing from 10 fracture-stimulated intervals between 7,394-9,724 ft. The 9,921-ft. well is on the southwestern flank of Jonah Field. In nearby Warbonnet Field on the Pinedale Anticline, Ultra Resources Inc. completed the #4-25 Warbonnet Unit, in Section 25-30n-108w, for an initial rate of 6.3 million cu. ft. of gas, 47 bbl. of condensate and 486 bbl. of water per day. That well was fracture-stimulated in 13 zones in the Lance/Mesaverde between 8,806-13,552 ft. 6 A bit farther south, in the Sweetwater County portion of the Green River Basin, EnCana Corp. has staked its tenth wildcat, reports The Rocky Mountain Oil Journal. The #3-23 Cedar Mountain, Section 23-14n-111w, will be drilled to 7,500 ft. in the Tertiary Fort Union. The new test is about two miles south of the company's #8-14 Julia Federal, Section 14-14n-11w. That 12,600-ft. Upper Cretaceous Hillard test has been drilled, but no details have been released. So far, EnCana has spudded three of its 10 locations in the area, which spans townships 14n and 15n, and ranges 109w to 111w. Most of the wells are projected to depths between 11,000 and 13,000 ft. 7 An exploratory test on Wyoming's Wamsutter Arch has been completed as a dual producer in the Lewis and Mesaverde by BP American Production Co., says IHS Energy. The #7-1 Fivemile, Section 7-21n-93e, Sweetwater County, flowed 1.2 million cu. ft. of gas and 14 bbl. of condensate per day from two Lewis intervals between 9,554-9,787 ft. The well also flowed 1.9 million cu. ft. of gas and 15 bbl. of condensate per day from two Mesaverde intervals between 10,915-11,168 ft. All the zones were fracture simulated. The well is a mile southwest of a one drilled in 1980 that produced gas from both the Lewis and the Almond member of the Mesaverde. 8 A Cretaceous Dakota discovery in the Powder River Basin is pumping 150 bbl. of oil per day, with no gas or water. The #1 Greasewood, Section 1-38n-64w, Niobrara County, Wyo., is producing from perforations at 6,613-19 ft. The well is six miles southwest of Greasewood Field. Five previous wells, all unsuccessful, had been drilled to Dakota in the same section as the new producer. Operator O'Brien Energy Resources Inc. is based in Portsmouth, N.H. 9 Wind River Resources Corp., Roosevelt, Utah, plans to drill a Tertiary Wasatch wildcat near its recent discovery on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. The company plans to drill the #4-10-15-20 North Hill Creek, Section 10-15n-20e, Uintah County, Utah, about a 1.5 miles northwest of its #6-11-15-20 North Hill Creek well, Section 11-15s-20e. That well was completed flowing 1.6 million cu. ft. of gas per day from Wasatch between 3,720-3,762 ft. 10 After much delay, a Pennsylvanian Cane Creek horizontal drilling program is ready to begin in southern Grand County, Utah. Houston-based Aviara Energy Corp. plans to drill the #7-1 Kane Springs from a surface location in Section 7-25s-19e to a bottomhole location in the same section. The measured total depth is projected to 11,000 ft. and true vertical depth is estimated at 8,500 ft. The drillsite is three miles east of the discovery for Hell Roaring Field. The area, near Dead Horse Point, is tightly regulated. Aviara, which owns a 100% interest in the #7-1 Kane Springs, plans a total of three wells. 11 Samedan Oil Corp., Houston, has staked a series of wildcats on the southern flank of the Paradox Basin. The company's #1 Montezuma 41-17-74 is in Section 17-37s-24e, San Juan County, Utah, about 1.5 miles southeast of Alkali Point Field. The company has also wildcats planned near Patterson Canyon Field, some four miles southeast. The #12-36-74 Evinrude will be drilled in Section 36-37s-24e, and the #41-6-85 Bonito, in Section 6-38s-25e. The latter well is permitted to 5,860 ft. 12 Denver-based Forest Oil Corp. has completed its fourth long-reach directional well in Redoubt Shoal Field in Alaska's Cook Inlet. The #4 Redoubt Shoal Unit was directionally drilled off the Osprey platform in Section 14-7n-14w, Seward Meridian, to a bottomhole location nearly three miles away in Section 20-7n-13w. Measured total depth is 20,203 ft. The well encountered the Tertiary Hemlock formation at 18,872 ft. and logged approximately 229 ft. of net oil pay; it also encountered 589 ft. of net natural gas pay in several shallow sands. The operator is currently completing the well. According to Forest, the #4 Redoubt Shoal extended the lowest known oil downdip by approximately 50 ft., without encountering an oil-water contact. The company now estimates the field contains at least 100 million bbl. of recoverable oil; first production is expected by the end of the year. Forest operates and owns 100% of Redoubt Shoal Field. 13 Marathon Oil Co. and Unocal Corp. have confirmed their high-volume gas discovery on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula with the completion of a directional offset flowing 11.9 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The #2 Grassim Oskolkoff is producing from three Miocene zones between 8,048 and 9,440 ft. It was drilled from a surface location in Section 23-1n-13w, Seward Meridian, to a bottomhole location in Section 22. The new producer is in the 25,167-acre Ninilchik Unit, operated and owned 60% by Marathon; Unocal owns the remainder. The companies also completed a workover well in the unit. The #1RD Falls Creek Unit, Section 6-1n-12w, flowed at the rate of 6.8 million cu. ft. of gas per day. Production was from a Miocene zone at about 8,700 ft. The companies intend to start gas production from the Grassim Oskolkoff pad in December 2003. Marathon also plans an exploratory test in the same area. The company applied for a spacing exception for the #3 Susan Dionne in Section 6-1s-13w; proposed bottomhole location is in Section 1-1s-14w. The well will be drilled from the same pad the company used for its #1 Susan Dionne, a workover of an older well. No details have been released on that operation, reports IHS Energy.