1 Two operators have announced plans to drill on Alaska’s North Slope. Italian firm ENI’s U.S. unit, ENI Petroleum Co. Inc., has staked #3 Maggiore in Section 5-8n-11e, about 23.9 miles west of Deadhorse. Depth and target formation were not reported. Nearest production is 11 miles north at Kuparuk River Field.
Con­o­co­­­Phillips Alaska Inc. will drill three wildcats in the same vicinity. The #1 Mooses Tooth A is in Section 6-10n-2e, about 16 miles west of Nuiqsut. The 8,500-ft. venture will target Jurassic, which produces 19 miles east-northeast in Colville River Field. The 9,000-ft. #1 Rendezvous B is in Section 23-10n-1e and also targets Jurassic. The company’s #1 Char is slated for Section 7-12n-4e, about 12 miles north of Nuiqsut. The wildcat is within the Colville River Unit, about six miles northwest of Alpine Field.

2 A remote Hingeline wildcat has been slated by Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Wolverine Gas & Oil Corp. more than six miles northwest of Fayette in western Sanpete County, Utah. The #29-1 Painted Rock-Federal is in Section 29-17s-1w, about 33 miles north of the company’s Covenant Field, which produces from Jurassic Navajo.

3 Denver-based Delta Petroleum Corp. tested #28-11 Samson-Federal in Section 28-22s-17e in Utah’s western Grand County. The wildcat, drilled on the northern flank of the Paradox Basin about six miles south of Green River, flowed 4.32 million cu. ft. of gas and 794 bbl. of 60-degree-gravity condensate a day from the Paradox O zone. It was drilled to 9,472 ft. and tested on a 28/64-in. choke. Due to extremely high pressures, the well could not completely penetrate the O zone. Delta plans to reenter and deepen the well, which also encountered 900 ft. of estimated pay in 15 additional intervals. Those zones will be tested in the future.

4 A northeastern Montana exploratory test was completed by Denver-based Kodiak Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. about 11 miles east-southeast of Plentywood in Section 7-34n-57e, eastern Sheridan County. The #11-7 Salvation Army flowed 187 bbl. of 30.5-degree-gravity oil a day with no gas or water from Mission Canyon. The current discovery is a mile northeast of the company’s #2-13 Larsh discovery, which has produced 24,311 bbl. of oil, 8.7 million cu. ft. of gas and 1,661 bbl. of water in its first seven months online. The company also operates Mission Canyon producers in Lowell Field, about 2.5 miles east.
Also in Sheridan County, about 22 miles north-northeast of Bainville, independent Armstrong Operating Inc., Dickinson, N.D., has scheduled a 12,300-ft. wildcat. It will target Red River in Section 16-31n-59e. The abandoned Rush Mountain Field is 2.5 miles north-northwest. There, #1 Hoffelt produced 430,812 bbl. of oil, 211 million cu. ft. of gas and 123,293 bbl. of water between June 1968 and April 1986, reports IHS Inc. Additional Red River production comes from Anvil Field, more than five miles south-southwest.

5 In north-central Mountrail County, N.D., Hess Corp., New York, has added another horizontal Bakken test to its exploration/delineation program near Ross Field. The #1102H-1 RS-Juma-156-92, in Section 11-156n-92w, will be drilled nearly two miles northwest of two-well Ross Field, which produces from horizontal laterals in Bakken. Hess also has staked wells two miles south and three miles east. Its #3625H-1 RS-State-156-92 is in Section 36-156n-92w and its #1609H-1 RS-State-156-91 is in Section 16-156n-91w.
In Divide County, Dallas-based Petro-Hunt LLC reports a Bakken/Sanish discovery at #30B-2-1H Hall. The well, drilled about 11 miles north of Alamo, N.D., pumped 182 bbl. of 40.6-gravity oil, 111,000 cu. ft. of gas and 124 bbl. of water a day. The site is in Section 30-161n-98w in the Burg/Plumer Field area. Closest Bakken production is 4.5 miles southwest at #17B-2-1H Ingvald Mork Trust.

6 Other operators have made discoveries in North Dakota’s Bakken play. Burlington Resources Oil & Gas LP (part of ConocoPhillips) completed two horizontal tests as Bakken oil discoveries in the western portion of the state. The #14-5H Jorgenson-State is in Section 5-148n-97w in northwestern Dunn County, about 13 miles southeast of Watford City. No additional details are available.
The major also completed the first horizontal Bakken producer in the Camel Butte Field area in McKenzie County. The #11-14H Anderson Ranch is in Section 14-151n-96w. Madison and Interlake producers are within a mile.
Meanwhile, Fort Worth, Texas-based Encore Operating LP completed a Billing Nose wildcat, #24-1H Anheluk in Section 1-142n-100w, in eastern Billings County. This Bakken producer flowed 73 bbl. of 45-degree-gravity oil and 220 bbl. of water a day during recent tests. The site is two miles east of Tree Top Field, which produces from Madison.

7 Sheridan, Wyo.-based Pinnacle Gas Resources Inc. has scheduled two 11,250-ft. wildcats about 30 miles northeast of Superior in the Red Desert Basin in northern Sweetwater County, Wyo. Both wells are projected to Blair sands in the Lower Mesaverde. The #01LMV-29-24-98 SWC-Federal is in Section 29-24n-98w and #04LMV-33-24-98 SWC-Federal is a mile further south-southeast in Section 33. Coalbed methane is produced within 1.25 miles. Both sites are within four miles southwest of Jade Field and six miles west of Hay Reservoir Field, both of which produce gas from Lewis.

8 A Vermillion Basin wildcat flowed 3.05 million cu. ft. of gas with 336 bbl. of condensate and 144 bbl. of water a day about 40 miles south-southeast of Rock Springs. Completed by Denver-based Kodiak Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., #5-3 Horseshoe Basin Unit is in Section 3-12n-102w in southern Sweetwater County, Wyo. Canyon Creek Field produces from Frontier/ Dakota about six miles west-northwest.

9 A wildcat has been slated for Section 33-2n-36w in southeastern Dundy County, Neb. Kaler Oil Co., Gainesville, Texas, will drill #14-33 Rickard to 4,600 ft. about two miles east of Little Bear Field and northeast of Millennium Field, which produce from Lansing-Kansas City. Little Bear was discovered five years ago and has produced 708,000 bbl. of oil and 1.03 million bbl. of water from 15 wells. Millennium Field, discovered in 1999, has produced 798,000 bbl. of oil and 1.03 million bbl. of water, also from 15 wells, reports IHS Inc.

10 Denver-based Julander Energy Co. will drill #32-14 Lancelot to 10,700 ft. in a nonproducing township about 55 miles northwest of Craig in northwestern Colorado. Sited in the Sand Wash Basin, Section 14-10n-99w, the Moffat County venture will evaluate Lance, Lower Lance and Fox Hills gas zones. Powder Wash Field, which produces primarily from Wasatch/ Fort Union above 8,000 ft., is about 10 miles northeast.

11 Three exploratory tests were scheduled by Englewood, Colo.-based Running Foxes Petroleum Inc. in a nonproducing area of Lincoln County in eastern Colorado, about 15 miles southwest of Hugo. The #7-1 Jolly Ranch is in Section 1-13s-56w and will evaluate Marmaton, Cherokee, Morrow and Spergen to 7,900 ft. Secondary targets are shallow Cretaceous zones and Atoka. The #11-6 Jolly-State and #4-7 Jolly Ranch, respectively in sections 6 and 7 of 13s-55w, will be drilled to 8,000 ft. About five miles southeast, Bolero Field produced 40,900 bbl. of oil and 17 million cu. ft. of gas from 1984 to 1988. Running Foxes plans a nine-well exploratory program.

12 A southwestern New Mexico wildcat has been scheduled by Beeville, Texas-based Dan A. Hughes Co. LP. The #1 Hueco South Unit 26 State will be drilled to 6,600 ft. in Section 26-32s-17w in southern Hidalgo County, N.M. The remote well will target Percha Shale about 10 miles from the U.S. border and 30 miles east of the state line. There has been no production to date from the Pedregosa Basin.
The nearest comparable activity is 7.5 miles east, where #1 B-A State was drilled to 14,585 ft. in 1958. The well was reentered 10 years later and abandoned, although production tests at the time flowed 8.5 million cu. ft. of gas through perforations at 4,181 to 4,281 ft. Some gas was recovered from Mississippian more than 50 miles northeast.
About 190 miles northeast of the proposed wildcat, #1 Ysletano Canyon Federal was tested in 1990 flowing 300,000 cu. ft. of gas a day but was never brought online. Nearest Woodford shale production, which is comparable to Percha, comes from the Delaware Basin more than 250 miles east in West Texas.