Burlington Resources Secures 5 New McKenzie County Permits in Single Section

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources approved five new drilling permits on Tuesday, all filed by Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP for a single location in McKenzie County.

All five permits are for the HBU Sandstone formation within the confidential 'CONFIDENTIAL' field. The permits are for wells named HBU SANDSTONE 5N MBH, 4N MBH, 3N MBH, 2N MBH, and 6S MBH. They are all located at SE SE 15-148N-98W in McKenzie County, indicating a concentrated multi-well pad development.

This activity underscores continued operator focus on the core Bakken region of McKenzie County, which has long been the state's top-producing area for oil and gas.

In other permitting activity, the DMR processed one permit renewal. XTO Energy Inc. renewed permit #37783 for the ROUST 34X-7C well, located at SW SE 7-154N-95W in Williams County within the 'HOFFLUND' confidential field. The filing notes the well is a "PROPOSED DRILLBACK OUTSIDE OF SPACING UNIT."

The DMR's daily report also included an update for an existing confidential status filing. The entry for Oasis Petroleum North America LLC's STORHAUG 5700 42-23 4B well, located at SE SW 23-157N-100W in Williams County, was listed under "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION."

The day's filings show Burlington Resources as the most active operator in the report, securing all five of the newly approved permits. The concentrated nature of the permits in a single section suggests efficient pad-based development planning, a common strategy in the Bakken to reduce surface footprint and operational costs.

While the specific target formation, HBU Sandstone, is listed, the wells' confidential status means detailed production forecasts and specific reservoir data are not publicly disclosed. Confidential status is typically granted for initial exploratory wells or to protect competitive operational data.

The XTO renewal and the Oasis update indicate ongoing administrative and planning work by other major operators in the neighboring Williams County, which along with McKenzie County forms the heart of the Williston Basin's Bakken production.