File #26387 | Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP | Dunn County
API
Unknown
Target Formation
Middle Bakken Dolomite
Permit Explained
Yes
Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit approval dated September 6, 2013 (File No. 26387) is directly conditioned by: (1) Commission Order No. 18849 setback requirements (200 ft N/S, 500 ft E/W) within the Corral Creek-Bakken Unit; (2) mandatory perimeter dike construction with pre-construction inspection by NDIC Field Inspector Ashleigh Devenberg; (3) three-day waiting period for location construction commencement after permit publication; (4) survey frequency and directional plan requirements (100 ft intervals vertical, 30 ft in curve, 90 ft in lateral); (5) approved open hole log waiver (August 19, 2013) requiring GR to surface, CBL on production casing, and mud log submission. Subsequent regulatory stipulations (filter sock container requirement effective June 1, 2014; cores and samples submission within 30/90 days per NDCC 38-08-04) became binding post-approval but pre-spud. The well spud October 9, 2014, approximately one year after permit approval, under these conditions. No evidence of permit modification or additional approvals between September 6, 2013 and spud date.
Permit Cycle Signals (5)
Permit approval issued by NDIC with specific setback requirements and perimeter dike stipulation (2013-09-06)
Approval conditioned on 200-foot setback (N/S) and 500-foot setback (E/W) within CORRAL CREEK-BAKKEN UNIT, per Commission Order No. 18849. Perimeter dike required; field inspector contact mandatory before location construction.
Three-day waiting period for location construction commencement after permit publication on NDIC Daily Activity Report (2013-09-06)
Standard operational constraint tied to permit approval; operators must wait 3 business days following publication unless Director waiver obtained by sworn affidavit.
Permit stipulation requiring covered leak-proof container for filter sock disposal effective June 1, 2014 (2014-06-01)
Regulatory condition binding on all permits not yet spud as of April 16, 2014. Container must be maintained from spud through completion/flow-back if filtration operations conducted. This well was spud October 9, 2014, after the effective date.
Cores and samples collection requirement per NDCC Section 38-08-04 (2013-09-09)
All cuttings from Base of Last Charles Salt forward at 30-foot maximum intervals (vertical, build, and lateral sections) must be submitted within 30 days of drilling completion. Cores must be preserved and shipped within 90 days. Civil penalty up to $12,500 per violation per day.
Open hole log waiver approved with alternative GR and CBL requirements (2013-08-19)
Operator requested and NDIC approved waiver from full suite open hole logs based on correlation to offset well BN 1-23 (File #7576). Approval conditioned on: (1) GR log from KOP to ground level; (2) CBL on production casing; (3) mud log; (4) submission of two digital copies each in TIFF and LAS format.
Historical Non-Routine Signals (5)
Pad surface instability and relocation during construction (August 4, 2014) (2014-08-04)
Operator reports soil instability caused pad slide during construction; requests approval to relocate surface location from 469 FNL & 804 FEL to 526 FNL & 353 FEL within same quarter-section (NENE Sec. 25-147N-95W). Impacted area reclamation completed. New location required revised drill plan package submission. This relocation modifies the original permit geometry and required NDIC approval before proceeding with drilling operations.
Permit renewal submitted August 28, 2014; Permits expire annually in North Dakota (2014-08-28)
Initial permit issued September 6, 2013 with one-year validity expiring September 6, 2014. Operator submitted renewal Form 4 on August 28, 2014 requesting permit extension and charging fee to credit card on file. Renewal was required to maintain drilling authorization and was approved prior to spud (October 9, 2014). Failure to renew would have invalidated the permit.
Gas Capture Plan submission for CCU North Coast Quad Pad (August 13, 2014) (2014-08-13)
Burlington submitted detailed gas capture plan for CCU North Coast 31/41-25 Quad Pad (four wells including this well) coordinating with ONEOK processing infrastructure. Anticipated first production April 2015. Flowback strategy: sequential high-rate flowbacks 2-4 days per well at 1,000–4,000 Mcfd. Statewide flaring 26%; CCU fieldwide 14% (June 2014). Plan details monthly production rates (Month 1: 650–1,000 bopd per well; Month 12: 150–250 bopd) and compressor capacity (Lost Bridge 35,000 Mcfd; Lone Butte 12,000 Mcfd; future North Dunn station 30,000 Mcfd). Governs post-drilling completion and sales operations.
Quarterly Development Plan updates (Q1, Q2, Q3 2013) showing well pad consolidation and location adjustments (2013-01-21)
Operator committed to providing quarterly updates on modifications to the Corral Creek-Bakken Unit Development Plan per NDIC conference call directive (January 7, 2013). Pad S (four-well quad pad, including this well) was identified in Q1-2013 as new location in NE/4 Section 25, T147N-R95W scheduled for 2013 drilling. Updates document landowner accommodation efforts, surface disturbance minimization, and coordination with Little Missouri State Park (easement for riding trail in Section 25; seasonal operations window). Historical context: pad was initially planned but location and schedule evolved through 2013 based on construction feasibility and regulatory feedback.
Corral Creek-Bakken Unit (CCU) unitization and development framework (2011-10-12)
CCU is a designated spacing unit with approved Development Plan ('Preliminary Lost Bridge Unit 3 Rig Development Plan') submitted October 12, 2011. All individual well drilling permits (including File No. 26387) are conditioned by unit-level decisions regarding drilling density, spacing, setbacks, and unitized development schedule. Setback requirements and operational constraints flow from unit geometry and order, not solely from individual well permits.
Historical Operator Profile
Total Wells:N/A
Active Wells:N/A
Notable Patterns:None identified
Confidence Assessment
Level: High Rationale: Well file contains complete permit approval (September 6, 2013) with explicit conditioning language, regulatory stipulations (filter sock container, cores/samples, log waivers) tied by date and file number, and contemporaneous operational documents (pad move, permit renewal, gas capture plan, survey data). Dates are consistently sourced from official NDIC and operator correspondence. No material ambiguities in permit-cycle timeline or conditioning authority. Historical context is clearly distinguished (unit development plan, prior pad planning, operator profile) and does not conflate with permit-specific justifications. Directional survey data (Weatherford 5D 7.5.9, January 30, 2015) provides post-drill verification of well geometry against planned directional design. Only material gap: specific explanation for ~one-year delay between permit approval (September 6, 2013) and spud (October 9, 2014) is not explicitly stated in file, though surface construction complications (soil instability, pad relocation August 4, 2014) and permit renewal requirements (August 28, 2014) provide contextual rationale.