🛢️ Esther Federal 4697 42-33 4B

Enerplus Resources USA Corporation (subsidiary of Chord Energy) · Dunn County, ND · File #42601 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3302505133
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit (File 42601, approved 03/28/2026 for drilling commencement) is justified by contemporaneous documentation that directly conditions and constrains approval. The non-routine setback relief (150' north/south, 1220' east/west from standard 300' setbacks implied by 2560-acre DSU design) is explicitly tied to Commission Order No. 34664 and conditioned on a specific completion design: production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe configuration enabling wireline perforating. This design is documented in technical submissions (wet shoe memo, planned survey with stage initiation depths). Anti-collision analysis (12/11/2025 report) confirms adjacent well spacing compliance (SF 1.31–1.53) and supports waiver request under Order No. 31848 for operator-controlled adjacent units. Regulatory letter from State Geologist (1/5/2026) establishes contemporaneous sampling and core submission obligations tied to drilling operations. Environmental conditions (closed mud system, cuttings disposal, perimeter berm) are standard but coordinated with licensed facility designations in Enerplus submissions. The permit cycle is fully documented and justified; no material conditions lack supporting pre-permit or time-bound explanatory materials.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Order No. 34664 — Approval to drill with setback conditions tied to cemented production liner with wet shoe and frac-out capability

Direct

📄 APD Stipulations section (Permit Review Policy: NDIC Field Order Info)
📅 2026-03-28 (Exact confidence)

Non-routine setback geometry (150' north/south, 1220' east/west) is explicitly conditioned on specific completion design (production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe). This design is documented in the 'Details of Standard Wet Shoe' technical submission. The setback relief depends on this engineering configuration.

Production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe configuration and planned first-stage perforating via wireline pump-down (avoiding tubing or tractor perforations)

Supporting

📄 'Details of Standard Wet Shoe Esther Federal 4697 42-33 4B' technical memo; planned survey shows staged initiation at 31,923' perforations
📅 Relative to permit approval (Inferred confidence)

This non-standard completion design is the technical basis for the setback variance granted by Order No. 34664. Wet shoe intentionally over-displaces cement by 7 barrels to create ~400' of uncemented annulus at toe, enabling economic wireline perforating without tubing/tractor. This justifies the 150' north/south setback relief.

Anti-collision analysis and adjacent operator notification/waiver (Order No. 31848 compliance)

Supporting

📄 November 12, 2025 letter from Ryan Emery (Enerplus); Anticollision Report dated 12/11/2025 (Total Directional Services)
📅 2025-11-12 (Exact confidence)

Enerplus noted that wellbore will traverse through adjacent spacing unit (Esther 2B, 3B, 5B laterals require entry into adjacent 2560-acre DSU per Commission Order No. 34664 definition). As operator of both units, waiver of notification to adjacent operator under Order No. 31848 was requested. Anti-collision report (12/11/2025) confirms planned well passes within 31.25–33.47 usft of three offset wells (Esther 3B and 5B) with separation factors of 1.31–1.53 SF, all above regulatory threshold (1.2 SF minimum). This addresses a material permit condition.

Cores and samples collection mandate per NDAC 43-02-03-38.1 and ND Century Code § 38-08-04

Direct

📄 Letter from Ross Edison (State Geologist) dated 1/5/2026; APD standard language
📅 2026-01-05 (Exact confidence)

Contemporaneous regulatory letter issued by State Geologist specifying sampling intervals (30' max vertical/build, 200' max horizontal), preservation, and submission requirements within 30 days of drilling completion. This is a time-bound permit obligation tied directly to the drilling permit approval cycle.

Closed mud system with no cuttings pit; remote/automatic shutoff devices required; perimeter berm required around entire location

Supporting

📄 APD Stipulations (Permit Review Policy and Construction Commencement Notification conditions)
📅 2026-03-28 (Exact confidence)

These conditions appear boilerplate, but closure of cuttings pit is paired with the cores/samples regulatory letter and disposal facility requirements (Enerplus letter, sealed cuttings disposal), forming a coordinated environmental control regime specific to this permit cycle.

📖 Historical Context (4)

Multi-well pad infrastructure (Esther Federal 4697 42-33 2B, 3B, 5B also permitted under same spacing unit framework)
📄 Plat maps S-1 through S-4; pad layout and well path diagrams; coordinate table (Sheet S-4) · 📅 Design phase, 9/29/2025 survey certification
This well operates as one of four laterals on a common pad within a 2560-acre DSU (Sections 16, 21, 28, 33). All wells share infrastructure (single pad, circulation system, access road). Future drilling, completion, or modifications of Esther 2B, 3B, or 5B will be constrained by already-approved setback geometry and the 1.2 SF anti-collision safety factor. Any change to planned lateral lengths, entry points, or target intervals requires re-analysis under Order No. 34664 and Order No. 31848.

Federal mineral interest notification requirement (12/18/2025 BLM Dickinson office correspondence)
📄 Email from Emma Neigum (NDIC) to Ryan Emery; flagged spacing unit may contain federal mineral leases · 📅 2025-12-18
BLM Dickinson (701-227-7713) must verify all federal permitting is complete for Sections 16, 21, 28, 33-T146N-R97W. Operator must maintain compliance with federal APD requirements throughout drilling and production. Federal minerals in spacing unit create ongoing jurisdictional obligation not fully detailed in state permit file.

Wet shoe completion design with intentional over-displacement and ~400' uncemented annulus at lateral toe
📄 'Details of Standard Wet Shoe' technical memo; planned survey section (MD/TVD at 31,968' float/landing plug) · 📅 Pre-permit design, 12/11/2025 survey finalization
This design creates a permanent completion configuration that allows first-stage perforating via wireline but creates an intentional pressure-containment discontinuity in the lateral annulus. Future workover, sidetrack, or abandonment operations will need to account for this uncemented zone (approximately 32,008'–31,600' MD). The design justifies setback variance but creates operational dependencies.

Licensed cuttings disposal facilities designated (Chimney Butte Environmental LLC, Petrocomp, Dishon Disposal Inc., et al.); operator commitment to haul to closest available facility
📄 Enerplus submission page listing licensed North Dakota facilities by county and proximity · 📅 Pre-permit contractor coordination, relative to drilling start
Operator is contractually bound to use specific licensed facilities. If preferred facility becomes unavailable or capacity-constrained during drilling, operator must notify state and re-designate. Failure to use licensed facility violates NDAC 43-02-03-19.2.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Operator is Enerplus Resources USA Corporation (subsidiary of Chord Energy), which also holds adjacent spacing units (Esther 2B, 3B, 5B) and the operator of record for Bonnie Divide 16-1H (offset well analyzed in anti-collision). Operator controls full 2560-acre DSU and coordinates multi-well drilling from common pad. Operator proactively requested Order No. 31848 waiver (11/12/2025) and submitted comprehensive technical packages (anti-collision, wet shoe design, survey plans, facility designations).
November 12, 2025 Enerplus letter; Anticollision Report (12/11/2025) flagging Bonnie Divide 16-1H as operator-controlled offset; Enerplus facility designation letter; BLM notification flagging all four Esther wells to same operator. Plat and survey documents show coordinated multi-well design from single engineering firm (Dimension Surveying & Consulting, Total Directional Services).

Confidence: High
Permit file is comprehensive and temporally anchored to approval date 03/28/2026 (dirt work date listed on APD). All critical justifications are contemporaneous or pre-permit and directly referenced by APD stipulations: Order No. 34664 (setback relief conditioned on wet shoe design), Order No. 31848 (adjacent operator/anti-collision), regulatory letter 1/5/2026 (cores/samples), and pre-permit technical submissions (anti-collision 12/11/2025, survey 12/11/2025, well design, facility list). No material gap exists between permit conditions and supporting documentation. Minor ambiguity on federal mineral status (BLM correspondence dated post-permit approval on 12/18/2025) does not undermine state permit justification; it flags an ongoing jurisdictional requirement external to the state file.