🛢️ Big Stone 32-29-20 5H-LL

Phoenix Operating LLC · Williams County, ND · File #42091 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3310506629
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit approval (issued 09-22-2025 per dirt work date notation) is explained by five contemporaneous waivers and the underlying Commission Order 34436 spacing/setback conditions. All waivers were approved 07-07 to 07-10-2025 in advance of the spud date (11-08-2025). The tubing/packer waiver and filter sock exemption are non-routine operational decisions with specific technical justifications. The drill cutting samples and open hole log waivers reflect coordinated pad geology strategy leveraging offset well data. Setback and geometric constraints derive from the three-dimensional five-well pad layout and spacing unit boundaries. Well achieved total depth 11-19-2025 with confirmed landing in Middle Bakken at 9,428 TVD and 100% in-zone drilling, validating the approved trajectory design. No contemporaneous documentation indicates regulatory deviation or post-approval modification to drilling authorization.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 34436 approval conditioned on wellbore location within north-south axis (500' drilling corridor) and 150' setback from north/south boundaries of 3840-acre spacing unit

Direct

📄 NDIC Permit Information, Stipulations section
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Directly conditions the permitted wellbore geometry and lateral trajectory; setback constraint is non-routine and tied to specific spacing unit geometry

Tubing/Packer Waiver (NDAC 43-02-03-21) approved 07-07-2025 with seven engineering assurances including .85 API burst safety factor, casing exposure monitoring, and 300# gauge installation during flowback

Direct

📄 Sundry Form File 257135, Casing/Cement category
📅 2025-07-07 (Exact confidence)

Non-routine waiver with specific technical conditions; safety factor and monitoring requirements directly justify deviation from tubing/packer rule

Filter Sock Container Waiver (NDAC 43-02-03-19.2) approved 07-10-2025; operator confirmed no filter media used during drilling, exempting requirement for on-site filter storage container

Direct

📄 Sundry Form File 257128, Well Operations category
📅 2025-07-10 (Exact confidence)

Operational exemption justified by operator's drilling fluid management practice; directly conditions waste handling during drilling phase

Drill Cutting Samples Waiver (NDAC 43-02-03-38.1) approved 07-07-2025; samples collected from offset well Big Stone 32-29-20 1H (NDIC #42087) from Base Last Salt to KOP, with 30' intervals resuming in curve and lateral sections

Supporting

📄 Sundry Form File 257119, Logs & Testing category
📅 2025-07-07 (Exact confidence)

Waiver tied to five-well pad geometry; sample collection strategy depends on offset well geological data, indicating coordinated pad operations

Open Hole Log Waiver (NDIC Rule 43-02-03-31) approved 07-07-2025; offset well BRAGG 32-29-160-98H 1NC (NDIC #20684) within one mile provides formation tops; only GR-CBL to be run from TD to ground level

Supporting

📄 Sundry Form File 257110, Logs & Testing category
📅 2025-07-07 (Exact confidence)

Geological justification provided by proximate offset well data; reduced logging scope tied to formation top confidence from nearby well

📖 Historical Context (3)

Backbuild order waiver letter dated 06-26-2025 confirming Phoenix Energy (affiliate) operates adjacent spacing unit; Big Stone pad wells (1H–5H-LL) enter Bakken outside target spacing unit with horizontal laterals in Sections 20 and 32 crossing into non-contiguous acreage
📄 Backbuild Order Waiver letter to NDIC, signed by Meaghan Coughlan · 📅 2025-06-26
Off-spacing drilling geometry is permanent; well laterals traverse multiple sections requiring ongoing compliance with NDIC Order 31973 cross-unit notification and documentation standards. Adjacent operator relationship (same parent company) mitigates third-party dispute risk but does not eliminate regulatory reporting obligations for cross-unit operations.

Anticollision report (06-06-2025) identified four-well pad (1H–4H) with separation factors ranging 1.39–5.71 sigma vs. NYSTUEN offsets; Big Stone 5H-LL separation factors 5.71 (vs. 1H) and lower proximity warnings vs. BRAGG well, indicating tightly clustered pad geometry requiring ongoing directional control
📄 Taktikal Anticollision Report, Summary and Ladder Plot pages · 📅 2025-06-06
Collision risk geometry is fixed for well lifetime; margins recorded in anticollision analysis establish baseline for any future re-entry, sidetrack, or offsetting well planning on or adjacent to this pad. Separation factors document real-time execution risk during drilling operations and support justification for technical monitoring/steering protocols.

Surface damage agreement affidavit (06-06-2025) confirms landowner awareness that wells are drilled off-spacing from surface location in Section 5, Lots 1 & 2, with multiple wells targeting formations in adjacent spacing units
📄 Affidavit of Surface Damage Agreement signed by Mark Johnson, EVP Land · 📅 2025-06-06
Surface use/damage liability for multi-well pad extends beyond single spacing unit; surface agreement supports regulatory standing for off-spacing drilling and conditions operator's obligation to manage cumulative surface impacts (disturbance totaling 14.086 acres noted in pad layout) and remediation post-operations.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Phoenix Operating LLC conducts multi-well pad development with coordinated off-spacing geometry and affiliate operator coordination. Operator proactively obtained five waivers pre-spud (07-07 to 07-10-2025), reflecting standardized drilling program aligned with regulatory expectations for horizontal pad operations in tight spacing contexts.
All waiver submittals originated from same regulatory specialist (Meaghan Coughlan, Phoenix regulatory team); waivers received and approved within three-day window; drilling commenced on schedule 11-08-2025 with no documented regulatory compliance issues; backbuild notification letter demonstrates affiliate coordination. Well execution matched approved plan: spud 11-08-2025, TD 11-19-2025 (10.63 days), 100% in-zone landing in Middle Bakken, formal spud notification filed 11-11-2025 (within three days of spud).

Confidence: High
Permit approval date anchored to dirt work date (09-22-2025) on formal permit document. All five waivers are dated, approved, and directly referenced in well file. Spud notification (Form 4 sundry) confirms 11-08-2025 spud with witness (Patterson 268 rig crew). Geological report and anticollision analysis dated 06-06-2025 (pre-permit approval) and drilling operations report dated post-completion (11-19-2025) with detailed formation logs, surveys, and bit records. No contradictions between approved design and actual execution. Historical signals (backbuild waiver, affidavit, anticollision margins) are all documented with dates and signatories. No missing or conflicting permit-cycle documentation.