1 Foreland Corp. , Lakewood, Colo., is waiting on a rig to resume drilling after having set conductor pipe with a workover rig at the #42-16 Pine Valley in Section 16-29n-52e, Eureka County, Nev. According to the Nevada Oil Reporter, the Pine Valley wildcat is projected to a total depth of 6,500 ft. The drillsite is two miles north of oil production in Willow Creek Field. 2 Two new discoveries in Roosevelt County, Mont., are reported by IHS Energy Group. Devonian Duperow is the producing formation at the #2-11 Picard, a deeper-pool opener completed by Furst Engineering Inc., Shamong, N.J., in Target Field. The well in Section 11-29n-58e was completed on pump for 155 bbl. of oil and 49 bbl. of water, with 150,000 cu. ft. of gas, per day. It's producing through three perforated intervals between 10,930-60 ft. In Section 32-27n-58e, Billings independent Nance Petroleum Corp. pumped an average of 133 bbl. of oil and 143 bbl. of water per day from the Ordovician Red River "C" at the #8-32 Harmon. Perforations are at 12,516-24 ft. in the laminated zone and between 12,613-28 ft. in the burrowed zone. 3 Macum Energy Inc. , Billings, is drilling below 6,000 ft. at the #14-36 State, a Montana wildcat that has a projected depth of 7,400 ft. in Precambrian. The venture, in Section 36-13n-33e, Rosebud County, has as its objectives Mississippian Mission Canyon and Lodgepole, and Ordovician and Cambrian zones. 4 The Rocky Mountain Oil Journal reports Grand Operating Inc. , Addison, Texas, is drilling a remote wildcat in the Crazy Mountain Basin of southwestern Montana. Grand's test is the #1-3 Robinson Ranch in Section 3-2n-7e, Gallatin County. It's scheduled to be drilled to 8,500 ft. in Jurassic Morrison. 5 North Dakota's Dunn County is the site of a horizontal Mississippian Madison discovery made by Belco Energy Corp., New York City. The company's #43-11 Colin Schmidt, Section 11-143n-97w, is said to be producing from an openhole horizontal lateral in the Sherwood member of Mission Canyon (Madison). IHS Energy Group says Belco has applied with the North Dakota Industrial Commission for an order establishing temporary spacing for the development of an oil pool discovered by the well. Reports from the area say Belco has competed two other horizontal Madison producers in Township 143n-97w, in the Crooked Creek Field area. 6 Amerada Hess Corp. , New York City, has finaled a horizontal Madison redrill in North Dakota's Medora Field pumping 243 bbl. of oil and 77 bbl. of water per day. An openhole horizontal interval from 8,703 to 9,724 ft., measured total depth, is yielding the production at the #17HR MHMU, Section 23-139n-102w, Billings County. The well is a redrill of the company's #2 NP-M Tract 3, which was originally completed as a vertically drilled oil well in 1965. 7 A horizontal wildcat staked by Tulsa independent Americomm Resources Corp. in Wyoming's Niobrara County is scheduled to be drilled to a measured depth of 12,486 ft. (8,486 ft., true vertical depth). The #1-AH Timber Draw Unit is to be drilled from a surface location in Section 15-39n-66w to a proposed bottomhole location in Section 10-39n-66w. It's a mile southeast of Lower Cretaceous Muddy production from about 8,475 ft. in the two-well Dogie Creek Field. Also in Niobrara County, Abraxas Petroleum Corp. , San Antonio, says an initial production rate in excess of 400 bbl. of oil per day plus associated gas has been credited to its second horizontal producer in Brooks Draw Field-the #3H Sage Grouse, Section 15-38n-67w. The well is producing from Upper Cretaceous Turner from 8,645 to 12,900 ft. Abraxas' first such producer in the field is the #3H Middleton, which the company says produced more than 8,500 bbl. of oil plus associated gas in 37 days and is still flowing at an approximate rate of 200 bbl. per day plus associated gas. The company says production at both wells is being restricted to minimize gas production until a gas sales outlet is available. 8 Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co. , Houston, recorded a flow of 3.744 million cu. ft. of gas and 26 bbl. of water per day from Tertiary Lower Fort Union at the #66 Madden Deep Unit, a development well located on the Madden Anticline in Fremont County, Wyo. Testing was carried out on an 18/64-in. choke through perforations at 5,854-88 ft. at the well in Section 10-38n-90w. Nearly four miles northwest, Burlington has finaled another Lower Fort Union producer in the Madden Field area. The #2-29 Madden Deep Unit, Section 29-39n-90w, flowed 1.581 million cu. ft. of gas per day on a 20/64-in. choke. Perforations are at 6,154-70 ft. In related action, Grey Wolf Inc. , Houston, has announced the signing of a two-year term contract with Burlington for the company's ultradeep Rig #558, which is to be utilized for drilling operations in the Madden Deep Unit. Grey Wolf values the contract at $11.6 million. The start-up of drilling operations, which is expected in the second quarter of this year, will signal Grey Wolf's entry into the Rocky Mountain market. The company's Rig #558 is one of the largest land drilling rigs in the world, rated at 4,000 horsepower, with a hoisting capacity of 2.5 million pounds. Grey Wolf expects to spend about $5.8 million for the capital equipment to meet the contractual obligations. 9 An Upper Cretaceous Lance producer completed by McMurry Oil Co. on the southern flank of Wyoming's Jonah Field yielded a flow of 5.991 million cu. ft. of gas and 80 bbl. of condensate per day. IHS Energy Group reports the #3-5 Jonah-Federal, Section 5-28n-108w, Sublette County, flowed on a 26/64-in. choke from six Lance intervals between 8,707-10,408 ft. 10 Barrett Resources Corp. , Denver, says the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission has approved a proposal to allow one well per 20 acres over an area of 9,000 acres within the company's Rulison, Parachute and Grand Valley fields in the Piceance Basin of western Colorado. As a result of this ruling, Barrett anticipates it will add 143 billion cu. ft. of proved gas reserves from 134 well sites on 20-acre spacing. The decision extends the company's Piceance Basin drilling inventory to more than five years with a continuous four-rig drilling program. This area is in addition to 4,000 acres approved for 20-acre development in 1998. As of December 31, 1999, the company's proved gas reserves in the Piceance Basin were 461 billion cu. ft. The eastern Piceance Basin will see exploratory drilling by Coastal Oil & Gas Corp. , Houston. The new wildcat is the #4803 Mallard in Section 8-1s-97w, Rio Blanco County, Colo. It's to be drilled to 13,000 ft. to evaluate potential gas zones in Mesaverde, Cozzette and Corcoran. 11 The focus for the 2000-01 winter drilling season on Alaska's North Slope will be on the west side, stretching from the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) to the borders of the Kuparuk River Unit, reports IHS Energy Group. There will be a considerable amount of activity, based on applications the state had on file as of Oct. 20. Phillips Alaska Inc. and BP are planning extensive activity. Phillips plans drilling and testing operations at as many as 29 new winter exploration locations utilizing as many as four rigs. Phillips already has received permits for five NPR-A locations that were approved last year but not yet drilled. BP also is set to explore the NPR-A this winter, with planned satellite exploration work on state lands between the Colville and Canning rivers. The company plans to stabilize its Alaska production in 2001 and grow it by 20% during the next five years. 12 Forcenergy Inc. , Miami, has entered into an agreement with Anschutz Exploration Corp. , Denver, to operate Anschutz's exploration license in the Copper River Basin of Alaska. IHS Energy Group notes Anschutz and Forcenergy, each with a 50% interest, will jointly explore the license area, which covers approximately 500,000 acres within the Copper River Basin study area. Forcenergy is being merged into Denver-based Forest Oil Corp.
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