🛢️ Big Stone 32-29 2H

Phoenix Operating LLC · Williams County, North Dakota County, ND · File #42088 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3310506626
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit for Big Stone 32-29 2H (NDIC File 42088) approved on 09/22/2025 is contemporaneously explained by multiple regulatory submissions. Commission Order No. 34436 stipulation directly conditions approval on the wet shoe completion design with frac-out capability to satisfy setback requirements. Four waivers approved in July 2025 (tubing/packer, open hole log, filter sock container, drill cutting samples) modify standard requirements and are time-bound to this specific well's drilling and completion phases. The tubing/packer waiver includes seven engineering assurances that condition approval. Anticollision analysis dated 06/06/2025 validates well geometry against adjacent pad wells and offsets. Well name change administrative action (07/30/2025) updated the permit nomenclature. All permit-cycle signals directly or supportively justify the approval by establishing the geometric feasibility, completion design requirements, and engineering controls necessary for safe drilling within the 1280-acre spacing unit.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 34436 stipulation: setback approval conditions granted based on production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out the toe

Direct

📄 Application for Permit for Permit Modification, Stipulations section
📅 09/22/2025 (Exact confidence)

Directly conditions permit approval on specific well completion design (wet shoe with frac-out capability). This design element is essential to meeting 150' north/south setback requirement within 1280-acre spacing unit (Sections 29 and 32, T160N R98W).

Well name change from Big Stone 32-29-20 2H to Big Stone 32-29 2H approved; Permit Modification required to update DSU

Supporting

📄 Sundry Form 261130, received 07/29/2025, approved 07/30/2025
📅 07/30/2025 (Exact confidence)

Administrative change affecting permit nomenclature and spacing unit designation. Contemporaneous with permit approval timeline.

Tubing/Packer Waiver (Form 257132) approved 07/07/2025 with seven engineering assurances: new #29 and #32 casing, API burst safety factor 0.85, damage detection via monitoring, lower flowback pressures, low corrosion rates, expedited production equipment installation, and 300# pressure gauge on surface casing

Direct

📄 Sundry Form 257132, approved by Stephen Fried, Petroleum Engineer
📅 07/07/2025 (Exact confidence)

Waiver modifies standard NDAC 43-02-03-21 requirement. Approval is conditioned on seven specific operational and equipment requirements that directly enable the completion design and flowback operations. Approximate start date noted as 12/01/2025.

Open Hole Log Waiver (Form 257106) approved 07/07/2025 based on offsetting BRAGG 32-29-160-98H 1NC well (NDIC #20684) within 1 mile with sufficient open logs; GR-CBL log from TD to ground level required

Direct

📄 Sundry Form 257106, approved by Ross Edison, Geologist; reference well NDIC 23601
📅 07/07/2025 (Exact confidence)

Waiver substitutes offset well data for standard requirements under NDIC Rule 43-02-03-31. Establishes formation tops via reference well data rather than independent logging. Contemporaneous with drilling permit approval cycle.

Anticollision analysis performed 06/06/2025 (TAKTIKAL Directional Planning Report Proposal #2) identifies minimum separation factors and warning levels against adjacent wells (BIG STONE 32-29-20 1H, 3H, 4H, 5H-LL and offset wells BRAGG, NYSTUEN, HAY FARMS)

Supporting

📄 Anticollision Report and Directional Planning Report dated 06/06/2025
📅 06/06/2025 (Exact confidence)

Technical document demonstrating well geometry compliance and collision avoidance in pad drilling context. Precedes permit approval and supports geometrically feasible well design. Shows spacing unit geometry validation.

📖 Historical Context (4)

Skabo-Bakken Pool definition established by Commission Order (from permit): accumulation from 50 feet above Bakken top to 100 feet below Three Forks top. This pool definition persists for all future production and regulatory compliance.
📄 Application for Permit for Permit Modification, Stipulations section (NDIC Field Order Info) · 📅 Unknown
Pool definition is a persistent structural constraint that affects future completion design, production allocation, and regulatory reporting for the life of the well. All future production accounting must reference this pool interval.

Surface use agreement obtained with landowner for multi-well pad drilling (Big Stone 32-29-20 1H through 5H-LL and Big Stone 1 SWD) from single surface location in Lots 1 & 2, Section 5, T159N, R98W. Affidavit signed 06/2025.
📄 Affidavit of Surface Damage Agreement, signed by Mark Johnson, EVP Land, Regulatory & EHS · 📅 2025-06
Surface use agreement is a permanent contractual obligation that restricts operator conduct on the pad and defines landowner rights. Remains in effect for the life of the pad operations and affects decommissioning obligations.

Backbuild order waiver obtained (06/26/2025 letter to NDIC); wells enter Bakken outside target spacing unit. Phoenix Energy identified as adjacent operator for notification purposes under NDIC Order 31973.
📄 Letter from Phoenix Operating to Todd Holweger, NDIC Permit Manager, dated 06/26/2025 · 📅 2025-06-26
Backbuild waiver establishes contractual and regulatory obligation to coordinate with Phoenix Energy (adjacent operator). This relationship persists through drilling and completion; breach could trigger regulatory enforcement or inter-operator disputes affecting production and operability.

Well is part of five-well pad (Big Stone 32-29-20 1H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H-LL) with shared infrastructure and surface location, per geological summary and survey documents.
📄 Well Summary and Geological Summary sections of well report · 📅 Unknown
Multi-well pad structure creates operational dependencies: shared surface casing, common mud systems, coordinated drilling schedule, and consolidated completion operations. Failure or delay on any pad well affects all wells. Pad abandonment obligations are joint.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Phoenix Operating LLC demonstrates multi-well pad drilling program in Bakken with coordination of directional trajectories, waiver management, and regulatory engagement across spacing units.
Company obtained five waivers (tubing/packer, open hole log, filter sock container, drill cuttings sampling, and backbuild order) across three months (07/2025 - 06/2025 prior). Multi-well anticollision analysis performed. Directional planning reports (TAKTIKAL) show proposal iterations. Surface use agreement and landowner coordination documented. All regulatory submissions prepared by Meaghan Coughlan, Regulatory Specialist, Phoenix Operating LLC.

Confidence: High
Well file contains explicit permit approval date (09/22/2025 dirt work date on APD), Commission Order No. 34436 stipulation text, four contemporaneous waivers with approval dates and engineer/geologist signatures (07/07/2025 - 07/10/2025), well name change approval (07/30/2025), directional planning report (06/06/2025), and affidavit of surface agreement (06/2025). Chronology is clear and documents are signed/stamped by NDIC personnel (Dan Kuchar, Ross Edison, Stephen Fried). Permit-cycle signals directly cite regulatory conditions. No material gaps in documentation chain from pre-permit planning (June) through approval (September).