
Enerplus Secures Six New Drilling Permits in Dunn County
The North Dakota DMR approved permits for a new multi-well pad in the Heart Butte field, while Kraken Operating updated a confidential status.
The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources approved six new drilling permits on Friday, June 19, all filed by Enerplus Resources USA Corporation for a single location in Dunn County. No other operators received new permits, according to the daily activity report.
All six permits are for wells to be drilled from the same surface location, Lot 2, in Section 21 of Township 149N-Range 95W, within the Heart Butte field. The permits are for the MHA Buckwheat 4892 21-19 3B, MHA Oat 4892 21-19 4B, MHA Millet 4892 21-19 5B, and three MHA Grain wells (4892 21-19 6B, 7B, and 8B). This batch of sequentially numbered permits, #43051 through #43056, signals the planned development of a new multi-well pad.
The concentrated activity highlights continued operator focus on core areas of the Bakken formation. Dunn County is a long-established producing region within the Williston Basin. The permits indicate Enerplus is advancing its development program in the Heart Butte field, which lies within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
In other activity, the DMR report listed a confidential status change for an existing permit. Kraken Operating, LLC updated the status for its Emerson 33-28-21 #2H well, located in Lot 1, Section 4 of Township 158N-Range 100W in Williams County's Blue Ridge field. The report listed the permit number as #42419. Changes to a well's confidential status typically precede the public release of its initial production data or indicate the well has been completed.
The daily report shows a quiet period for new permit applications from other major Bakken operators. The sole batch of permits from Enerplus represents the total new approval activity for the day. Such focused permitting is common as operators strategically develop acreage in high-productivity zones.
For royalty owners and service companies in Dunn County, the new Enerplus permits represent forthcoming drilling and completion work. Multi-well pads like the one indicated by these permits allow for efficient, concentrated resource extraction and reduced surface footprint.
Source
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Daily Activity Report for June 19, 2026.

