File #15569 | Petro-Hunt Dakota LLC (current); Emerald Oil Inc. (2014-2017); Nearburg Producing Company (original) | McKenzie County
API
33-053-02586
Target Formation
Red River
Permit Explained
Yes
Permit Cycle Assessment
The well file contains clear and direct contemporaneous documentation explaining the Temporary Abandonment approval anchored to 10/30/2017 MIT. The TA procedures document (dated September 6, 2017) outlines NDIC contact requirement, hot oil truck test, wireline work, CIBP setting at 11,380 ft, cement job (5 sacks Class G with 35% silica flour), and pressure test protocol. The Well Integrity Report Form 19 (test date 10/30/2017) shows MIT passed with no pressure loss and NDIC field inspector (William Ryan) present and witnessing. The well was plugged at 11,380 ft with tubing and rods RIH on 10/31/2017. The TA approval letter (form 4, approved date not explicitly marked but workflow dated August 21-September 6, 2017) explicitly conditions annual inspection reporting and states well will be inspected for pressure/leakage. No waiver or non-routine conditions are present; this is a standard TA approval following mechanical integrity test passage.
Permit Cycle Signals (4)
Temporary Abandonment (TA) approval granted with MIT (Mechanical Integrity Test) requirement and annual pressure/leakage inspection mandate (2017-10-30)
TA approval directly conditions the current permit. MIT passed at 1000 PSIG with no pressure loss on tubing and annulus. Well must be inspected annually for pressure/leakage per TA terms.
Tubing and rod equipment run-in (RIH) and pressure test (MIT) on 10/30/2017; well plugged at 11,380 ft (2017-10-31)
Confirms well preparation work and mechanical integrity testing completed immediately prior to TA approval; CIBP set at 11,380 ft to isolate perforations.
NDIC field inspector (William Ryan) witnessed MIT on 10/30/2017; test result Acceptable with notation 'MIT due for TA' (2017-10-30)
Direct regulatory approval signal: state inspector witnessed and signed off. TA status explicitly tied to passing MIT per NDAC rules.
Well transferred from Emerald Oil Inc. to Petro-Hunt Dakota LLC effective 01/01/2017 under Bond No. 106150693 (2017-01-27)
Operator change 9 months before TA work. New operator (Petro-Hunt) assumed responsibility and bonding. Provides operational continuity context for TA filing.
Historical Non-Routine Signals (3)
Recompletion permit to Souris River and Duperow pools approved 02/13/2014 (Nearburg); later cancelled 03/27/2015 by Emerald Oil; then partial verification work performed (CIBP set at 13,482 ft with 5 sacks cement on 02/17/2014), creating ambiguity about what work was actually completed (2014-02-13 | Relative: Unknown completion status)
Unresolved perforation history affects future well re-entry risk. CIBP at 13,482 ft vs. 11,734 ft discrepancy noted by NDIC engineer. Duperow perforations presumed at 11,437 ft but verification incomplete. Any future workover or deepening must account for uncertainty about open/isolated perforations and cement quality.
Well classified as Stripper Well Property for Red River Pool only (determination dated 04/10/2009), qualifying for tax exemption under NDCC 57-51.1-01 (2009-04-10)
Tax status remains in effect and constrains future abandonment/plugging economics and regulatory approval criteria. Stripper well status may affect minimum production requirements and abandonment compliance thresholds.
Red River Pool production ceased May 2014 (last reported production month); well transferred October 2014 (Nearburg to Emerald); recompletion permit cancelled March 2015; no production reported since. NDIC issued non-compliance letter January 2016 citing NDAC 43-02-03-55 (one-year abandonment rule) (2014-05-01 | Relative: Escalating)
Well under strict TA compliance obligation. Any lapse in annual inspection reporting or pressure indication will trigger abandonment enforcement. TA extensions require renewal applications and continued inspection protocol or well must be permanently plugged.
Historical Operator Profile
Total Wells:N/A
Active Wells:N/A
Notable Patterns:None identified
Confidence Assessment
Level: High Rationale: Permit-cycle signals are contemporaneous, directly regulatory (NDIC-issued forms, field inspector attestation, engineering letters), and mechanically explicit (MIT procedure, CIBP depth, cement specification, pressure result). Well file contains complete sequence of TA preparation (procedures dated Sept 6, 2017), execution (MIT 10/30/2017, rig release 10/31/2017), and approval pathway. Historical signals are documented in filed forms and NDIC correspondence spanning 13 years. No OCR artifacts or missing critical dates in permit-cycle window. Only minor ambiguity exists in historical recompletion work verification, which does not affect contemporaneous TA approval justification.