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🛢️ OLSON 147-97-34-27-7H
ENERPLUS RESOURCES USA CORPORATION · Dunn County, ND · File #40765 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33
- API
- 3302504893
- Target Formation
- Three Forks First Bench (B1)
- Permit Explained
- Partially
📋 Permit Cycle Assessment
The well file establishes that OLSON 147-97-34-27-7H was spud 07/28/2024 and completed 06/25/2025 as a three-phase (Three Forks) horizontal development well. The permit-cycle signals directly justify the approval by documenting: (1) a non-routine wet shoe completion design with mandated 150-foot toe setback, approved via NDIC waiver 03/26/2025; (2) directional setback requirements tied to Commission Order 33255; (3) operational waivers for open hole logging and survey frequency, both approved 07/24/2024. However, the original APD approval date is not explicitly stated in the file. The well file demonstrates compliance with pool definitions and field orders, but does not contain a dated permit approval document anchoring the permit-cycle analysis. The completion report (approved 07/15/2025) and stimulation/test data (06/11/2025–07/04/2025) confirm execution. The permit suspension letter (06/20/2024) indicates the well was drilled under SOD relief while six Olson permits remained suspended pending revocation hearing, but the resolution of that hearing or subsequent permit lift is not documented.
🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)
📄 Sundry Form 198806 (Request for Consideration/Waiver); Change in Completion Method
📅 2025-03-26 (Exact confidence)
Non-routine completion design requiring specific toe geometry constraint. Reviewer mandated 150' setback at toe based on wet shoe configuration with cemented liner and no ability to frac out shoe. This directly conditions how the well can be completed and perforated.
📄 Sundry Form 198633 (Suspension of Drilling); Letter from Todd L. Holweger dated 2024-06-20 (permits suspended); Spud notification 07/28/2024
📅 2024-06-20 (Exact confidence)
Six Olson permits including 40765 were suspended 06/20/2024 pending revocation hearing in response to Burlington Resources petition. Operator drilled well on 07/28/2024 (within original SOD window), before permit status was resolved. Well was completed 06/25/2025 and placed in production 06/28/2025.
📄 Sundry Form 198493 (Open Hole Log Waiver); Sundry Form 198545 (Directional Survey Frequency Waiver)
📅 2024-07-24 (Exact confidence)
Regulatory relief conditioning drilling execution. Open hole log waiver references nearby OLSON 34-1H for geologic equivalency. Survey frequency waiver accommodates 5-inch Range III pipe in 45-foot lengths with MWD surveys at 100', 45', and 90' intervals instead of 30-foot standard.
📄 APD Permit (File 40765); Stipulations section; NDIC Field Order Info tied to Commission Order No. 33255
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)
Permit conditions setback geometry within 1280-acre spacing unit (Sections 27 & 34, T147N R97W). North setback is conditioned on production liner cemented in lateral with fully cemented shoe and no ability to frac out shoe—this directly aligns with the wet shoe completion design waiver.
📄 APD Permit (File 40765); Stipulations—Pool Definition
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)
Pool defined as accumulation from 200 feet above Bakken top to above Birdbear Formation. Establishes regulatory framework for well classification and spacing unit management.
📖 Historical Context (5)
Burlington Resources revocation petition and permit suspension of six related Olson wells
📄 Letter from Todd L. Holweger, Permit Manager, dated 2024-06-20; Spacing unit correction issued (Sections 27 & 34 T147N R97W) · 📅 2024-06-20
Regulatory dispute over spacing unit configuration and operator rights. Suspension was lifted (inferred from spud on 07/28/2024), but the underlying dispute over acreage allocation and well placement relative to adjacent spacing unit (N/2 Section 3 T146N R97W) persists and may affect future development or dispute resolution.
Order 31848 waiver request for wellbore penetration of adjacent spacing unit
📄 Letter from Chris Gallant, Enerplus, dated 2024-03-08; Waiver request for Order 31848 notice requirement · 📅 2024-03-08
Enerplus acknowledged that proposed wellbores enter the Bakken Petroleum System outside the target spacing unit and requested waiver from Order 31848 notification requirement to the adjacent spacing unit operator (N/2 Section 3 T146N R97W). Enerplus self-identified as operator of adjacent unit. Waiver status not documented in file, indicating potential compliance risk or unresolved obligation.
Confidentiality status change effective 12/28/2025
📄 Sundry Form 256427 (Change in Confidential Status); Approved 07/01/2025, effective 07/01/2025. Separate Sundry 290116 effective 12/29/2025 showing date off confidential 12/28/2025 · 📅 2025-07-01
Well data was initially confidential post-spud; confidential status lifted 07/01/2025 (well first production 06/28/2025). Data now subject to public disclosure and regulatory reporting. Operator must maintain compliance with all reporting obligations on non-confidential well.
Hydraulic fracturing fluid specification: prohibition on diesel-based compounds
📄 Proposed Wellbore Schematic (Enerplus, dated 2024-02-26); Diesel Prohibition List attached · 📅 2024-02-26
Operator committed not to use diesel No. 2, Kerosene, or related fuels (CAS 68334-30-5, 68476-34-6, 68476-30-2, 68476-31-3, 8008-20-6) in stimulation fluids. Environmental or regulatory constraint persists and must be monitored during any future operations or workovers.
Simultaneous operations safety requirement (NDAC 43-02-03-28)
📄 APD Permit Stipulations—Conditions of Approval; 150' min. separation from boiler, electric generator, treater to producing well; 125' allowed with spark arrestor · 📅 Unknown
Well is now producing; 150-foot safety buffer from equipment to wellhead must be maintained. Future pad operations, workover, or maintenance must comply. Well pad layout shows multiple wells; cumulative impact on equipment placement requires ongoing management.
🔧 Operator Pattern
Enerplus Resources (USA) Corporation demonstrates integrated horizontal development strategy on multi-well pads with complex directional geometries and non-routine completion designs. Company actively manages permit compliance through waiver submissions and self-identifies as operator of adjacent spacing units.
LK Olson 34 SW Pad includes 14 wells (8 in Sections 34/27, 6 in adjacent Section 3 T146N R97W). Company submitted waiver for Order 31848 notification (03/08/2024) recognizing cross-spacing-unit wellbore geometry. Operator filed suspension-of-drilling request (07/24/2024) and utilized 90-day SOD window. Directional engineering (Badger Consulting, Total Directional Services) and geological interpretation (P. Abel Consulting) contracted out; operator maintained internal compliance and permitting function (Chris Gallant, Sr. Drilling Engineer; Whitney McKee, Sr. Compliance Specialist). Well transitioned from confidential to public disclosure post-production within 3 days of first production. Operator authorized multiple marketing/transportation arrangements (Chord Energy Marketing LLC, Bridger Transportation LLC as of 06/29/2025).
Confidence: Medium
File is complete in operational and technical detail (completion report, directional surveys, stimulation records, production test). Permit-cycle explanation is supported by waiver approvals (wet shoe 03/26/2025, open hole log 07/24/2024, survey frequency 07/24/2024), APD stipulations, and SOD authorization. However, the original APD approval date is not explicitly stated in the file extract; the 'Dirt Work Date' is listed as 05/01/2024 but formal permit approval date is missing. The permit suspension (06/20/2024) and subsequent drilling (07/28/2024) create temporal ambiguity—it is unclear whether the permit was formally unsuspended before spud or whether the operator relied on SOD relief. The Burlington Resources dispute and Order 31848 waiver status remain unresolved in the file. Without explicit confirmation of permit lift and approval date, full permit-cycle assessment cannot achieve 'High' confidence.