?1 In the northeastern Green River Basin, an Orion Energy Partners wildcat is producing from 11 fracture-stimulated stages. Eight stages are in Lance between 9,252 and 11,842 ft.; two stages are in Mesaverde between 11,888 and 12,725 ft.; and one stage is in the Ericson member of Mesaverde at 12,829-13,181 ft. Denver-based Orion’s #1 Hope Road-Federal is in Section 6-27n-106w of southeastern Sublette County. The initial daily flow rate from the Lance stages was 378,000 cu. ft. of gas and six bbl. of condensate. The Mesaverde stages made 850,000 cu. ft. of gas and 14 bbl. of condensate per day, and the Ericson stage had an initial daily flow rate of 660,000 cu. ft. of gas and 10 bbl. of condensate. Flows were measured through a 24/64-in. choke with a tubing pressure of 1,550 psi and a casing pressure of 3,100 psi. The discovery was directionally drilled about 865 ft. northwestward to a measured total depth of 13,400 ft. The true vertical total depth is 13,328 ft. and the bottomhole location is also in the same section.

2 Denver independent Whiting Petroleum Corp. has completed two Jurassic Entrada gas producers on the Uinta Basin’s southern flank about 36 miles east of Sunnyside, Utah. The #15-30-14-20 Ute Tribal is in Section 30-14s-20e, southwestern Uintah County, and initially flowed 9.3 million cu. ft. gas, 44 bbl. of condensate and 105 bbl. of water per day. The well is producing from two fracture-stimulated intervals at 11,335-11,416 ft. and 11,441-11,581 ft. Flow was measured through a 40/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 1,438 psi. It was directionally drilled 150 ft. north and 670 ft. east of its surface site to a measured total depth of 12,200 ft.
To the north and west in Section 30-14s-20e, the #1-30-14-20 ST Ute Tribal initially flowed 4.2 million cu. ft. of gas, 12 bbl. of condensate and 92 bbl. of water daily from two fractured intervals at 11,628-11,743 ft. and 11,813-11,893 ft. Flow was gauged through a 24/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 1,450 psi. Perforations in the deeper Triassic Wingate at 12,124-62 ft. were closed off by a bridge plug set at 12,110 ft. before the Entrada completion.

3 A 6,135-ft. exploratory test by Denver-based Questar Exploration & Production Co. in the Vermillion Basin of Sweetwater County, Wyo., has been completed as a Mesaverde gas producer. Gas flowed at an initial rate of 2.5 million cu. ft. per day, with nine bbl. of condensate and 40 bbl. of water daily. The #5 Alkali Gulch Unit is in Section 18-13n-100w. Production is from six fractured Almond (Mesaverde) intervals between 5,163 and 6,000 ft. Flow was measured through a 35/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 830 psi. According to IHS Inc., log tops include Lewis at 4,481 ft.; Almond at 5,142 ft.; and Ericson at 6,072 ft.

4 EnCana Corp., Calgary, reported an initial flow of more than 12 million cu. ft. of gas, four bbl. of condensate and 3,112 bbl. of load water daily from a new completion in Wyoming’s Frenchie Draw Field. The #10-33 Gun Barrel Unit is in Section 10-37n-89w of Fremont County and was drilled to a total depth of 10,637 ft. Testing occurred on a 64/64-in. choke in eight fractured Lower Fort Union intervals between 8,173 and 10,494 ft. Flowing tubing pressure was 917 psi and casing pressure was 914 psi.

5 Abraxas Petroleum Corp. of San Antonio reported an initial flow rate of 250 bbl. oil per day from a Turner sand discovery northeast of Douglas, Wyo. The #1H Lakeside is in Section 8-38n-67w, Converse County, and was tested in a 3,800-ft. lateral following seven-stage fracture stimulation. The lateral extends from 8,724 ft. northwest to a bottomhole location in the section’s northwest quarter. Abraxas owns a 100% working interest in the new producer. The 12,500-ft. producer is in the company’s Brooks Draw Field.

6 A horizontal wildcat by Continental Resources Inc. on the northern end of the Nesson Anticline, six miles east of Wildrose, N.D., initially flowed 450 bbl. of oil equivalent per day. Continental’s #1-11H Hamlet, in Williams County, produces from a horizontal lateral in Three Forks/Sanish. Further details are not available. The Enid, Okla.-based company owns a 39% working interest in the discovery.

7 Encore Operating LP of Fort Worth has completed a horizontal Three Forks/Sanish producer in North Dakota’s Charlson Field area that initially flowed 3,030 bbl. of oil, 118,000 cu. ft. of gas and 3,504 bbl. of load water daily. The #14X-35H Charlson is in Section 35-154n-95w, northeastern McKenzie County. The well produces from a fracture-stimulated horizontal lateral in Three-Fork/Sanish extending from 10,195 ft. northwestward to a measured total depth of 15,150 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 34-154n-95w. Flow was gauged through a 16/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 2,400 psi. Formation tops at the site include Middle Bakken at 9,752 ft. and Three Forks at 9,851 ft. True vertical total depth is 9,831 ft.

8 Houston-based Murex Petroleum Corp. has completed a step-out from a Stanley-Bakken pool discovery. The initial flow was 1,205 bbl. of oil and 697,000 cu. ft. of gas per day, with no water. The #24-13H Robert George is southeast of Stanley, in central Mountrail County, N.D., in Section 24-155n-91w. Production comes from a horizontal Middle Bakken lateral extending from 9,977 ft. north to a measured total depth of 18,762 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 13-155n-91w. Murex fracture-stimulated the well through 10 frac ports in the liner between 10,736 and 14,809 ft. Flow was gauged through a 48/64-in. choke with a tubing pressure of 270 psi. Formation tops include Upper Bakken shale at 9,790 ft. (9,500 ft. true vertical) and Middle Bakken at 9,849 ft. (9,511 ft. true vertical).

9 A Marathon Oil Co. Reunion Bay step-out is flowing 637 bbl. of oil, 591,000 cu. ft. of gas and 234 bbl. of water per day. The discovery is about 11 miles southwest of New Town in Mountrail County, N.D. The #14-32H Mark Sandstrom is in Section 32-151n-93w and produces from a fractured openhole horizontal lateral in Middle Bakken extending from 11,067 ft. northward to a measured total depth of 19,993 ft. Flow was gauged through a 14/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 1,825 psi. Formation tops include Upper Bakken at 10,826 ft. (10,662 ft. true vertical depth) and Middle Bakken at 10,877 ft. (10,678 ft. true vertical depth). Marathon is based in Houston.

10 According to Petroleum News, a recent flow test by Pioneer Natural Resources leads the Dallas-based company to believe that its North Slope Oooguruk unit could hold up to 150 million bbl. of recoverable oil equivalent. Although additional well details are not available, Pioneer reported an initial gross production rate of 7,000 bbl. was achieved at a well in the unit. Oooguruk is north of Oliktok Point and lies in shallow-water Harrison Bay, offshore Alaska. Pioneer has built a gravel island about six miles from shore.

11 IHS Inc. reports that several exploratory tests are drilling on Alaska’s North Slope. Los Angeles-based Union Oil of California’s #6-7-9 Bluebuck is in Section 6-7n-9e, Umiat Meridian, and south of Kuparuk River Field. The #6-7-9 Bluebuck is one of 15 proposed wildcats on the White Hills prospect. Anchorage-based ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc.’s #1 Grandview, in Section 5-9n-1e, Umiat Meridian, is a wildcat that targets Jurassic zones in the northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). Meanwhile, Fortuna, Calif.-based Ultrastar Explo­ration LLC is rigging up to drill the #1 Dewline wildcat in Section 18-12n-14e, Umiat Meridian.