Western U.S.

1 Occidental Petroleum Corp., Los Angeles, has made a significant discovery of oil and gas reserves in Kern County, Calif. The company believes it to be the largest oil and gas discovery made in California in more than 35 years. Oxy declined to reveal specifics about the find, but did say it was a gas-condensate discovery that contains 150- to 250 million gross bbl. of oil equivalent. The conventional producing area is delineated by six wells and features large pay zones with high permeabilities. The six wells are currently producing approximately 74 million cu. ft. of gas and 5,000 bbl. of liquids per day. During 2009 Oxy will drill an additional 17 wells, at an average per-well cost of $3.5- to $4 million. The company will also expand its 400-million-cu. ft. per day gas-processing plant in Elk Hills to accommodate production from the discovery.

2 Drilling in the Paradox Basin, Midland-based CrownQuest Operating LLC completed a Pennsylvanian gas discovery in San Juan County, Utah. The #1-21X Anteater State is in Section 21-34s-26e and initially produced 329,000 cu. ft. of gas and 305 bbl. of water per day from Pennsylvanian zones between 5,770 and 5,830 ft. after stimulation. Drilled to 5,993 ft., formation tops reported include Honaker Trail at 4,198 ft., Ismay at 5,571 ft. and Desert Creek at 5,838 ft. About five miles northwest, the company completed #1-16 Explorer-State in June 2008 as an Ismay (Paradox) gas discovery. It produced 660,000 cu. ft. of gas in early June 2008 and then was shut in. Placed back online in August 2008, the well produced 22 million cu. ft. of gas through March 2009.

3 Ultra Resources Inc. tested four new Pinedale Anticline wells in Sublette County, Wyo. Two of the prospects were directionally drilled from a common pad in Section 34-32n-109w. The 13,850-ft. #5D1-34D Mesa flowed 17 million cu. ft. of gas per day from Lance between 8,405 and 13,764 ft. after a 26-stage fracture-stimulation with a flowing casing pressure of 3,300 psi. Thirty ft. south, Houston-based Ultra gauged an initial flow rate of 15.8 million cu. ft. of gas daily at #6B1-34D Mesa after a 27-stage frac job. It was drilled to a total depth of 13,714 ft. and perforated in the Lance at 8,092-13,683 ft. To the north, #14B1-27D Mesa, in Section 27-32n-109w, was tested at 8,398-13,857 ft. in Lance flowing 16.1 million cu. ft. of gas per day with 4,250-psi flowing casing pressure. This 13,910-ft. directional venture was fractured in 27 stages. On the same pad 10 ft. to the west, gas flowed at an initial rate of 14.1 million cu. ft. daily at #13C1-27D Mesa. This well was directionally drilled to 13,915 ft. and tested in Lance between 8,192 and 13,886 ft.

4 Casper, Wyo.-based True Oil LLC completed a new Sweetwater County producer on the eastern flank of the Washakie Basin south of Wamsutter, Wyo. The #14-18 Mull-Federal initially flowed 1.01 million cu. ft. of gas and 35 bbl. of water per day. Drilled to 12,930 ft. in Section 18-15n-94w, the producer flows from a fractured Almond (Mesaverde) interval at 12,630-46 ft. Flowing tubing pressure was 350 psi and casing pressure was 550 psi. Log tops include Lewis shale at 10,540 ft., Lower Lewis shale at 12,170 ft. and the Dripping Rock member of Almond at 12,635 ft.

5 A Washakie Basin drilling program by BP America Production Co. has a new producer near Wamsutter that initially flowed 3.35 million cu. ft. of gas, 41 bbl. of condensate and 45 bbl. of water per day. The #150D Champlin 559 C is in Section 31-18n-92w, Carbon County, Wyo. The well was directionally drilled southward to a bottomhole in the section and tested at 9,839-80 ft. and 10,014-10,124 ft. in Mesaverde after fracture stimulation. Initial tests were conducted on a 30/64-in. choke. Measured and true vertical depths are 10,399 ft. and 8,959 ft., respectively.

6 At a Manzano LLC well, gas flowed at an initial natural rate of 1.63 million cu. ft. per day with no water. The company’s delineation test is on the northwestern flank of the Raton Basin near La Veta, Colo. The well, #2 Andreatta, is in Section 10-29s-69w, Huerfano County, and produces through perforations in Dakota at 5,408-5,560 ft. The reported log tops at the 6,082-ft. well are the Fort Hays at 4,730 ft.; Dakota, 5,400 ft,; Morrison, 5,564 ft.; and Entrada at 5,960 ft. Roswell, N.M.-based Manzano production-tested Entrada at 5,999-6,017 ft., but results were not reported.

7 Continental Resources Inc. of Enid, Okla., completed a Three Forks/St. Dimetrius Field horizontal exploratory test in Billings County, N.D. The discovery initially flowed 256 bbl. of oil, 165,000 cu. ft. of gas and 140 bbl. of water per day. The #1-24 Armstrong is in Section 24-141n-99w and produces from a fractured horizontal lateral in Three Forks extending from 10,820 ft. northward to a total depth of 19,627 ft. with a bottomhole location Section 13-141n-99w. Using a 24/64-in. choke, the tubing pressure was 320 psi. True vertical depth formation tops include the Upper Bakken shale at 10,677 ft.; Middle Bakken, 10,689 ft.; Lower Bakken shale, 10,701 ft.; and Three Forks at 10,711 ft. The well reached a total measured depth of 16,930 ft.

8 A horizontal well by Brig­ham Oil & Gas LP of Austin flowed oil at 1,788 bbl. and 1.4 million cu. ft. of gas daily during an early flow-back period. Located in Section 27-155n-92w of Mountrail County, N.D., the #1H Strobeck produces from Three Forks extending 10,505 ft. southward to a total depth of 19,536 ft., following 20-stage fracture stimulation. Log tops include Upper Bakken at 10,051 ft. (9,968 ft. true vertical), Middle Bakken at 10,078 ft. (9,984 ft. true vertical), Lower Bakken at 10,185 ft. (9,996 ft. true vertical) and Three Forks at 10,307 ft. (10,077 ft. true vertical). Brigham holds a 77% working interest and 63% net revenue interest in the new producer.

9 Results from a Houston-based Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co. LP (Conoco­Phillips) horizontal wildcat were reported by IHS Inc. The producer is on the Nesson Anticline about 21 miles northeast of Watford City, N.D., and initially flowed 670 bbl. of oil, 1.85 million cu. ft. of gas and 100 bbl. of water per day. The #31-2H Iron Horse is in Lot 2 of Section 2-152n-96w, McKenzie County, and produces from six fractured stages between 10,857 and 20,260 ft. in a horizontal Middle Bakken lateral. The lateral extends from 10,638 ft. southward to a measured total depth of 20,648 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 11-152n-96w. Flow was measured through a 28/64-in. choke with a casing pressure of 2,400 psi. Formation tops include Bakken at 10,395 ft. (10,291 ft. true vertical) and Middle Bakken at 10,460 ft. (10,314 ft. true vertical).

10 According to IHS Inc., Denver independent Peter K. Roosevelt has staked a 3,250-ft. wildcat targeting Leo (Minnelusa) on the Black Hills Uplift in southwestern South Dakota. The western Fall River County venture, #11-25, is slated for Section 25-9s-2e and will be drilled on a 40-acre spacing unit. The wildcat is just south of Edgemont Field, which has produced 202,662 bbl. of oil, 118.4 million cu. ft. of gas and 1.8 million bbl. of water from Leo between March 1980 and December 2008.

11 In the first oil and gas project in the Nenana Basin in 25 years, Denver-based Rampart Energy Co. spudded a remote wildcat targeting gas zones. The #1 Nunivak is in Section 17-4s-8w, Fairbanks Quad, near Nenana, Alaska. A target depth of 10,500 ft. is planned on Alaska Mental Health Trust land, but other objectives were not disclosed. Partners in the proposed $15-million project include Doyon Ltd., Arctic Slope Regional Corp. and Usibelli Energy. The partners hold a 10-year exploration license from the state.

Fairbanks-area reports indicate that Doyon hopes to discover enough gas to eventually warrant a pipeline to Fairbanks, and to supplement declining Cook Inlet gas production.

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