E&Ps IP’ing 76%-Plus Oil from New Irion County Wells in Midland Basin

E&Ps are stepping up their D&C pace in lightly drilled Irion County, Texas, located in the Midland Basin’s far southeastern corner, according to Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) files.

In contrast to basin hotspot Martin County, where operators IP’ed 686 wells in 2024, E&Ps IP’ed only 30 wells last year in Irion, RRC data show.

Through April 3 this year alone, though, 30 new Irion wells were IP’ed, with 14 of them by Discovery Natural Resources and Triple Crown Resources, according to the RRC data.

Triple Crown’s seven-well Dark Horse development in southwestern Irion tested 24-hr IP’s averaging 1,392 boe/d per well, 76% oil, reported Arun Jayaram, analyst for J.P. Morgan Securities.

Total IP was 7,110 bbl from 52,916 ft of lateral—an average of about 185 boe/d per 1,000 ft among the roughly 7,500-footers, the RRC data shows.

Also earlier this month, Discovery tested seven wells in its Highland pad in northwestern Irion alongside the Reagan County border. The IP’s averaged 1,144 boe/d per well, 85% oil, Jayaram added.

Total IP was 6,738 bbl from 80,695 combined ft for an average of 101 boe/d per 1,000 ft from the roughly 11,500-footers.

All of the wells were landed in Wolfcamp at about 7,000 ft.

Triple Crown and Discovery did not respond to a Hart Energy request for comment on their D&C activity by press time.

Ryan Keys, Triple Crown co-CEO, said at Hart Energy’s Executive Oil Conference in Midland in late 2023 that while Irion County has a “bad reputation” for being gassy, the company’s production is 40% oil.

Countywide, Irion’s casinghead gas production this past January was 1.9 MMboe, according to RRC data, giving output among wells across Irion an average of 27% oil.

Canyon in the east

Of Irion County’s total 696,939 bbl produced in January, Triple Crown made 235,354 bbl and Discovery made 166,741 bbl, according to RRC data.

Meanwhile, publicly held Permian Resources was No. 3, producing 81,295 bbl from wells it gained in its all-stock merger with Earthstone Energy in 2023. The E&P has not brought a new Irion well online since just before the merger, RRC files show.

Triple Crown brought its six-well Affirmed pad online in December. It produced 130,638 bbl and 222 MMcf of gas its first two months online.

Of the 30 wells in 2024, 19 were IP’ed by Discovery and Triple Crown, while the other 11 were by four others: Moriah Operating (1); Rising Star Energy Partners (2); Wichita Falls, Texas-based privately held Comstock Energy (2); and Pioneer Natural Resources (6).

Pioneer’s new-drill Irion activity ceased after April 2024. It merged with Exxon Mobil in May 2024.

In addition to Triple Crown and Discovery, Comstock Energy and Rising Star have been drilling in the county—both on Irion’s eastern side.

In the country’s far northeastern corner, Rising Star’s Hondo #1HB IP’ed 303 bbl from Pennsylvanian-age Canyon at about 6,000 ft.

There, Spraberry is not present, it reported. Typically overlying Wolfcamp in the basin, Spraberry is a popular target in the central and northern Midland.

Deposition shallows at the basin’s southeastern corner, though, where Wolfcamp is at only about 4,000 ft. In contrast, Wolfcamp is at about 9,000 ft in the northern Midland Basin.

Comstock Energy’s Joan Crews Hoyt #3CH was put in Wolfcamp at about 4,000 ft in east-central Irion for an IP of 36 bbl.

In December, Moriah put its Dunkirk Unit #1H in Canyon in northeastern Irion. The two-miler IP’ed 496 bbl.

Moriah’s president, Tyler Harris, told Hart Energy last fall that it had become active in Irion.

Its first horizontal in the county, Tullos Unit #1H, landed in Canyon and peaked at 712 bbl/d in early 2024 from an 8,000-ft lateral.