🛢️ AMBER 1705-5BH

KODA Resources Operating, LLC · Divide County County, ND · File #42691 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3302301759
Target Formation: Middle Bakken Dolomite / Bakken Petroleum System
Permit Explained: Partially

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit is conditionally explained by Commission Order No. 34405 (setback and spacing compliance), aquifer-triggered environmental conditions (closed mud system, impermeable liner), and pre-submission of anticollision modeling and directional design. However, the permit approval date itself is missing from the document set. The file contains the permit approval (File No. 42691, dated 09/15/2026 per dirt work date entry), but no explicit regulator letter dated 09/15/2026 is present. The permit stipulations reference Order 34405 but that order document is not included. The permit is justified by technical submissions (drilling plan, anticollision report, well location plat, surface use agreement) all dated January 2026, which predate the permit approval. The three-day waiting period waiver request (26 January 2026) demonstrates operator compliance with pre-approval procedural requirements but does not itself authorize the permit. The Fertile Valley-Bakken Pool definition stipulation is regulatory boilerplate. Absence of contemporaneous regulator correspondence explaining the specific grounds for approval on 09/15/2026 limits permit-cycle clarity, though the structural conditions (setbacks, aquifer protection, anticollision clearance) are well-documented.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 34405 referenced in permit stipulation — approval to drill granted on condition that wellbore setbacks (150' north/south; 500' east/west) within 2880-acre spacing unit are met

Direct

📄 Permit Information page, NDIC Field Order Info stipulation
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Conditional approval explicitly tied to geometric compliance within defined spacing unit (Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, T160N, R103W). This is the regulator-issued order anchoring the permit.

Aquifer stipulation requiring onsite inspection before spudding; closed mud system, no drilling pit, and impermeable liner required on entire location

Direct

📄 Permit Information page, Aquifer stipulation section
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Non-routine environmental condition specific to this well location due to aquifer presence. Regulator-mandated pre-spud site-specific modifications required for approval.

Production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe — basis for north setback allowance of 150 feet

Supporting

📄 Permit Information page, Bakken Setback Summary Statement
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Technical completion design directly justifies modified (reduced) setback requirement. Tie-in between completion geometry and regulatory approval geometry.

Anticollision avoidance modeling submitted for pad; based on all known offset wells within vicinity of planned wellbore path

Supporting

📄 Drilling Plan, Section 5 (Evaluation Program), Directional Planning / Anti-Collision subsection; KLX Anticollision Report dated 15 January 2026 attached
📅 2026-01-15 (Exact confidence)

Pre-permit technical submission required for horizontal well trajectory approval. Anticollision modeling confirms safe separation from Amber 1704-6BH, Amber 1705-4BH, Amber 1732-10BH, Amber 1732-11BH, and Amber 1733-12BH with warning factors ≥2.0 at critical separation points.

Request for waiver of NDIC Order No. 31973 three-day waiting period prior to construction (dated 26 January 2026); operator is majority working interest holder (95.65%) in target DSU and adjacent DSU

Direct

📄 Affidavit — Request for Waiver to Three-Day Waiting Period letter, 26 January 2026
📅 2026-01-26 (Exact confidence)

Waiver request establishes operator control (95.65% WI) and acknowledges regulatory requirement that construction cannot begin until waiver is approved. Timing constraint directly conditions permit cycle.

📖 Historical Context (6)

Fertile Valley-Bakken Pool defined as interval from 50 feet above top of Bakken Formation to above top of Birdbear Formation per permit stipulation
📄 Permit Information page, NDIC Field Order Info stipulation (pool definition) · 📅 Unknown
Establishes regulatory pool boundary for production accounting, royalty division, and proration. Affects all future production operations, revenue allocation, and regulatory reporting for this well.

Maximum anticipated reservoir pressure ~4232 psi (0.5 psi/ft); if significant lost circulation occurs, maximum anticipated surface pressure ~2370 psi
📄 Drilling Plan, Section 6 (Abnormal Pressure and H2S Gas) · 📅 Unknown
Pressure forecast directly impacts BOP design (11" 5000 psi rams, 11" 2500 psi annular), casing design (stress analysis in drilling plan), and mud weight program (9.2–10.4 ppg range specified). Persists as design basis for all drilling and completion operations.

H2S gas not expected to be encountered in wellbore; however, precautions to monitor for H2S taken during vertical section drilling
📄 Drilling Plan, Section 6 (Abnormal Pressure and H2S Gas) · 📅 Unknown
Absence of H2S designation simplifies safety equipment requirements and drilling protocols but does not eliminate monitoring obligation. Affects rig certification, crew training, and contingency planning.

No diesel compounds (CAS 68334-30-5, 68476-34-6, 68476-30-2, 68476-31-3, 8008-20-6) will be used in hydraulic fracturing stimulation
📄 Drilling Plan, Section 7 (Hydraulic Fracturing Stimulation) · 📅 Unknown
Restricts hydraulic fracture fluid chemistry to non-diesel formulations. Binding commitment for completion operations; affects fluid selection, environmental compliance, and disclosure requirements.

All drill cuttings will be disposed at 13 Mile Landfill, Williston, ND per closed-loop drilling system requirement
📄 Drilling Plan, Section 4 (Drilling Fluids Program), final note · 📅 Unknown
Specifies required waste disposal facility and confirms closed-loop mud recovery system mandate. Affects operational logistics, cost, and compliance with NDAC 43-02-03-19.2 (waste disposal) and solid waste permitting.

Bakken Setback Summary Statement: North setback 150 feet based on production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out the shoe
📄 Permit Information page, Bakken Setback Summary Statement · 📅 Unknown
Technical completion design (wet shoe, frac-out capability) is tied to boundary compliance throughout well life. Any future modifications to completion design or lateral geometry must maintain or justify this setback relationship.

🔧 Operator Pattern

KODA Resources Operating, LLC operates as majority working interest holder (80.71%–95.65%) across multiple wells on the Amber 17 SE Pad multi-well development. Operator demonstrates pre-approval technical rigor: submits detailed directional drilling plans, anticollision modeling, surface use agreements, and waiver requests in coordination with regulatory timelines. Operator self-governs adjacent spacing unit (Sections 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, T160N, R103W) and requests waiver from Order 31973 rather than submitting standard inter-operator notification. All wells target Bakken Formation; all employ horizontal geometry with extended laterals (15,501 ft lateral length for Amber 1705-5BH).
Affidavits of Working Interest (dated 22 January 2026) for Amber 1705-4BH (95.65%), Amber 1705-5BH (95.65%), Amber 1704-6BH (86.28%), Amber 1732-10BH (80.71%), Amber 1732-11BH (80.71%), Amber 1733-12BH (84.88%); Surface Use Agreement with Brent Andersen and Ashley Engh (effective 7 November 2025); unified drilling plan and anticollision report for six-well pad; Order 31973 waiver request citing operator control of both DSU and adjacent unit.

Confidence: Medium
Permit approval is documented (File No. 42691, permit type: New Well – Horizontal, issued 09/15/2026 per dirt work date). Stipulations reference Commission Order No. 34405 but that order is not present in file. Pre-approval technical submissions (drilling plan, anticollusion modeling, plat survey, affidavits) are dated January 2026 and are comprehensive, establishing the technical and operational basis for approval. Aquifer requirement and setback justification are clearly stated in permit stipulations. However, the permit approval letter itself—i.e., the regulator's contemporaneous written explanation of the grounds for approval on 09/15/2026—is absent from the file. The permit packet includes extensive supporting documentation but not the decision document. Date confidence is high for pre-approval submissions; date confidence is missing for the permit approval decision itself. Pool definition, pressure forecast, and completion design are non-routine but standard for Bakken horizontal drilling. No evidence of denials, contested hearings, or regulatory objections within the permit cycle.