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BAKKEN WIRE
DMR Approves Two New Enerplus Permits; Eight Renewals Filed - Bakken Wire
Daily Activity

DMR Approves Two New Enerplus Permits; Eight Renewals Filed

State regulators approved two new horizontal well permits for Enerplus in Dunn County, while eight permit renewals highlight continued operator interest in drillable locations.

Bakken Wire Staff·☀️Morning Wire·

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) approved two new drilling permits in its latest daily activity report, both filed by Enerplus Resources USA Corporation. The agency also processed eight permit renewals, with the majority flagged for proposed drillbacks outside of approved spacing units.

The newly approved permits, #42674 and #42675, are for the Edward Federal 4797 43-21 4B and 5B wells, respectively. Both are located in the SW SE of Section 21-147N-97W in Dunn County.

The permit renewal list, which indicates operators are maintaining the option to drill at a later date, was led by Enerplus with three filings. The company renewed permits for the Quartzite 147-93-17A-20H-TF, Marble 147-93-17A-20H, and Gneiss 147-93-17A-20H-TF-LL wells, all in the NE NE of Section 17-147N-93W in Dunn County within the Moccasin Creek field. All three are noted as proposed drillbacks outside of the spacing unit.

Other operators securing renewals included Continental Resources, Inc. for the Gale 4-32HSL1 in the Cedar Coulee field of Dunn County; Marathon Oil Company for the Middleton 31-18H in the Bailey field of Dunn County; and PetroShale (US) Inc. for the Helen ULW-E MBH in the Eagle Nest field of Dunn County. These three renewals were also for proposed drillbacks outside of spacing units.

Valkyrie Operating, LLC renewed two permits, for the Aaberg 8-5N-2H and 8-5N-3H wells in the West Ambrose field of Divide County. These were listed with a 'Confidential' status and noted for a location outside of the spacing unit.

The DMR's report also listed several filings under "Additional Information," which typically denotes changes to a permit's status, such as the removal of a confidential designation. These included filings from Hunt Oil Company in Mountrail County, XTO Energy Inc in Williams County, and Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP in McKenzie County.

The day's activity was concentrated in Dunn County, which saw both new permits and five of the eight renewals. This continues the trend of Dunn County being a core area for permitting and development activity within the Bakken formation.

Source

North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Daily Activity Report for Thursday, April 16, 2026.

dmrdrilling permitsenerplusdunn countypermit renewalsspacing unitsbakken

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