File #41991 | HESS BAKKEN INVESTMENTS II, LLC | Mountrail County
API
3306105535
Target Formation
Middle Bakken
Permit Explained
Yes
Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit approval (06-11-2025) for EN-Edwards-157-94-2203H-1 is supported by five time-bound, regulatory-conditioned signals. The core justification derives from Commission Order No. 34114, which grants setback approval explicitly contingent on a specific completion design (wet-shoe production liner with frac-out capability). The suspension-of-drilling waiver (06-13-2025) directly explains permit issuance by authorizing a two-rig strategy that manages cost and rig availability while preserving drilling timeline compliance. The open-hole log waiver (06-12-2025) reduces operational requirements based on offset well data sufficiency per NDIC Rule 43-02-03-31. Anticollision analysis (03-07-2025) completed to Hess internal standards demonstrates no collision risk with nine nearby offset wells. State Geologist cores and samples directive (06-16-2025) is post-permit but time-sensitive for completion operations. Together these signals establish that the permit approval is conditioned, differentiated, and operationally justified rather than routine.
Permit Cycle Signals (5)
Suspension of Drilling approval for 90-day surface casing phase using small rig, with requirement to move conventional rig on-site within 90 days to complete drilling to TD per APD (2025-06-13)
Directly conditions permit approval: operator must spud with small rig, set surface casing with freshwater mud only, and complete full drilling within defined time window. Permits cost/schedule optimization but is not an extension of drilling obligation.
Open Hole Log Waiver approved: offsetting well WILL 14-23 (NDIC# 5831) within one mile has open logs establishing formation tops; GR-CBL to be run TD to surface instead of full open hole suite (2025-06-12)
Waiver of NDIC Rule 43-02-03-31 logging requirement. Conditional approval based on offset well data sufficiency. Reduces operational scope without technical risk mitigation gap.
Commission Order No. 34114 stipulation: setback approval based on production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe; North 150 ft, South 150 ft, East 500 ft, West 500 ft within 2560-acre spacing unit (2025-06-11)
Setback conditions directly tied to specific completion geometry (wet shoe, frac-out capability). Non-standard setback rationale based on liner design differentiates this from routine horizontal approval.
Anticollision assessment completed using Hess standards (1.5 separation factor minimum for planning, real-time surveys every 93-100 ft, gamma ray geo-steering). Nine offset wells evaluated; minimum separation factor 2.598, all wells at or above Level 1 warning threshold (2025-03-07)
Pre-permit AC work justifies approval geometry. Report confirms no collision risk; supports drilling in multi-well pad environment with nearby laterals (EN-Edwards-2203H-2, EN-Will Trust C-2215H series).
Cores and Samples letter issued by State Geologist (06-16-2025): mandates sample collection from Base of Last Charles Salt at 30 ft intervals (vertical/build) and 200 ft intervals (horizontal); submission to state library within 30 days of completion (2025-06-16)
Regulatory requirement imposed post-permit approval. Enforced by NDCC 38-08-04 and NDAC 43-02-03-38.1. Civil penalty up to $12,500 per day for non-compliance. Operational and post-drilling compliance requirement.
Historical Non-Routine Signals (3)
Surface Use Agreement executed 01-15-2025 with Edward L. Will Trust (Donald W. Will, Co-Trustee) covering surface rights for well site, tank batteries, utilities, and roads in Sections 22 & 27, T157N-R94W. Agreement permits 'off-lease' (off-spacing) drilling into Sections 3, 10, 15, and 22. (2025-01-15)
Off-spacing drilling authority must be maintained throughout well life. Surface agreement governs pad access, ancillary facility placement, and future development. Breach or termination could restrict operations or trigger remediation obligations.
Hess is operator of adjacent unit EN-Will Trust A-157-94-2734 (Sections 27 & 34). Multiple wells planned from this pad will drill-back into EN-Will Trust C-157-94-2215 unit (Sections 15 & 22) and into EN-Edwards-157-94-2203 unit (Sections 3, 10, 15, 22). Waivers of Order No. 31848 and 31973 notification requirements granted because Hess operates all adjacent units. (2025-03-18)
Operator continuity across multi-unit spacing unit arrangement is a structural constraint. If Hess transfers or loses operatorship of any of the three units, inter-unit notification, waiver, and coordination obligations reactivate. Material change in operator control could delay or restrict lateral drilling across unit boundaries.
Halliburton Energy Services (Completion Engineering Team) confirmed via affidavit (04-21-2022) that no diesel fuels with CAS registry numbers 68334-30-5, 68476-34-6, 68476-30-2, 68479-31-3, or 8008-20-6 are used in hydraulic fracturing for Hess Bakken wells in North Dakota. (2022-04-21)
Diesel fuel use in HF is subject to North Dakota regulatory scrutiny and potential restrictions. Affidavit documents compliance with unstated but implicit operator or regulatory requirements. Completion vendor change or non-compliance would trigger regulatory action. Remains valid for scope of Bakken Project wells.
Historical Operator Profile
Total Wells:N/A
Active Wells:N/A
Notable Patterns:None identified
Confidence Assessment
Level: High Rationale: Permit approval date (06-11-2025) is explicit and anchors all permit-cycle signals. Five distinct regulatory documents (APD approval, suspension waiver, log waiver, cores/samples directive, and anticollision report) are dated and signed by NDIC engineers, geologists, or state officials. Commission Order No. 34114 citation is verifiable. Spud date (08-31-2025) and initial cement/casing data from Sundry Form dated 09-02-2025 confirm post-permit execution. Surface use agreement, inter-unit waivers, and diesel-fuel affidavit provide robust historical context. OCR quality is high; no critical dates are missing. Only limitation is that drilling prognosis and some engineering details lack explicit approval dates, but they are incorporated by reference in the APD itself.