🛢️ GROVE FEDERAL 5892 31-33 2B

Oasis Petroleum North America, LLC (subsidiary of Chord Energy) · Mountrail County, North Dakota County, ND · File #42645 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3306105638
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Partially

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The well file contains conditional and supporting documentation that explains key aspects of the permit approval. The wet shoe liner design with frac-out capability directly justifies the customized 500'/150' setback stipulation. Anti-collision analysis and 1.2 safety-factor methodology demonstrate risk mitigation for the 31,107-foot lateral against BANKS 5892 44-34H and GROVE 11-36H. Operator notification waiver (Order 31848) removes adjacent-unit communication requirement because Oasis controls both spacing units. Facility setback exemption (Case 28949, Order 31500) pre-dates this permit but authorizes heater placement. However, the file does not explicitly state the permit approval date (anchor)—only a dirt work date of 07/25/2026 is present. Federal minerals notification (BLM referral, dated 01/14/2026) arrives after permit issuance and represents a post-approval regulatory requirement, not a pre-permit justification. Standard permit conditions (closed mud system, shutoff devices, conductor restriction, field inspector notification) are routine boilerplate and do not distinguish this approval. In aggregate, the file demonstrates technical and operational justifications for non-routine design elements but lacks a clear contemporaneous permit approval letter or decision order anchoring these conditions to a specific approval date.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Setback stipulation tied to cemented production liner with wet shoe configuration and frac-out capability

Direct

📄 Permit page 1, NDIC Field Order Info stipulation; Well Design Details: 'Details of Standard Wet Shoe' section
📅 2026-07-25 (Exact confidence)

Permit approval explicitly conditions 500'/150' setbacks on the wet shoe design and on-location frac capability. This non-standard design justifies the setback variance from typical requirements. Directly tied to permit approval.

Facility setback exemption for indirect heater under NDIC Case No. 28949 Order No. 31500

Supporting

📄 Operator submission, FACILITY STATEMENT section
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Exemption allows heater placement within 60 feet of wellhead (vs. standard distance). Pre-existing NDIC order is referenced to justify non-routine facility configuration approved by this permit.

Anti-collision assessment with 1.2 separation safety factor and real-time corrected surveys; documented in Anticollision Report dated 08 December 2025

Supporting

📄 Anticollision Report, Summary section and Ladder Plot; Operator submission ANTI-COLLISION STATEMENT
📅 2025-12-08 (Exact confidence)

Well design at 31,107 feet MD requires AC clearance from multiple offset wells (BANKS 5892 44-34H flagged with closest approach 2,670.87 feet center-to-center). Minimum separation factor 0.173 reported for GROVE 11-36H indicates risk flagged but mitigated by design and survey protocol. AC report directly conditions drilling approval.

Operator notification waiver for adjacent spacing unit entry under Order No. 31848

Direct

📄 Operator letter dated 17 December 2025; references wellbore diagram requirement and Oasis self-operatorship of adjacent unit
📅 2025-12-17 (Exact confidence)

Wellbore traverses outside target spacing unit into adjacent section. Waiver of Order 31848 notification requirement (because same operator controls both units) is a permit-cycle condition that removes a regulatory hurdle to approval.

Federal minerals notification and BLM coordination referral

Direct

📄 Email from Nathaniel H. Erbele, NDIC Permitting, dated 14 January 2026; identifies potential Federal permit requirement and directs contact to BLM Dickinson office
📅 2026-01-14 (Exact confidence)

Permit approval contingent on Federal permitting in 2560-acre and 5120-acre spacing units. Post-approval regulatory dependency flagged for operator compliance with BLM at (701) 227-7713.

📖 Historical Context (3)

Bakken Formation pool definition (50 feet above formation top to above Birdbear Formation) established by NDIC Field Order
📄 Permit page 1, NDIC Field Order Info stipulation · 📅 Unknown
Pool definition is structural constraint on all wells in spacing unit and persists across all drilling phases; limits production and spacing applications.

2560-acre spacing unit (Sections 33, 34, 35, 36, T158N R92W) and 5120-acre unit (for 6BX well) established by Commission Order No. 34892
📄 Permit stipulation and BLM coordination letter · 📅 Unknown
Spacing configuration determines future infill drilling rights, lateral placement constraints, and cumulative acreage commitments for operator. Extends beyond this well's lifecycle.

Operator self-owns adjacent spacing unit containing lateral entry point; no third-party notification required per waiver of Order 31848
📄 Operator letter 17 December 2025 · 📅 Unknown
Oasis operational control of adjacent unit eliminates future dispute risk and defines drainage boundaries for reserve estimation and completion design.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Oasis Petroleum (Chord Energy subsidiary) demonstrates advanced well planning integration: utilizes certified AC planners, real-time corrected surveys, gamma-ray logging for existing wellbore identification, and frequent survey intervals (93–100 feet, increasing on approach to lateral crossings). Operator holds pre-existing exemptions (NDIC Case 28949 Order 31500 for heater setback) and controls multi-well pad operations (DUNLIN and GROVE family of horizontals on same pad). Operates under federal mineral leases requiring BLM coordination.
Anticollision Report (dated 08 December 2025) lists 15+ offset wells screened; AC methodology and ISCWSA error model applied consistently. Multi-well pad design (GROVE and DUNLIN families, 6 wells per plat) and facility layout (indirect heater exempt setback, diked containment) indicate institutional drilling program maturity. Federal minerals notification acceptance and proactive BLM engagement show compliance sophistication.

Confidence: Medium
File contains robust technical submissions (anticollision, well design, surveys, drilling procedures) and regulatory correspondence (NDIC setback stipulations, operator waiver requests, BLM coordination). However, the permit approval date is inferred as 07/25/2026 from the dirt work date field; no explicit permit decision letter or approval order is present in the file. The contemporaneous documentary chain supporting the specific approval is incomplete: the anti-collision report (12/08/2025), operator waiver letter (12/17/2025), and BLM notification (01/14/2026) post-date the inferred approval. Boilerplate APD language (closed mud systems, shutoff devices, conductor restrictions) is not parsed as permit-cycle material per suppression rules. The wet shoe design, facility exemption, and AC clearance are clearly non-routine and justify aspects of approval, but the file does not present a time-anchored sequence of pre-approval submissions and regulator findings that would establish permit-cycle causality with high confidence.