Hunt Oil Files Four New Divide County Permits; Whiting, Marathon, EOG Cancel Wells

Hunt Oil Company was the most active operator in yesterday's North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources filings, securing four new drilling permits for the same location in Divide County. All four permits—#43239, #43240, #43241, and #43242—are for the FRAZIER 161-97-3 series of wells at SE NE 4-161N-97W in the FRAZIER field, according to the DMR Daily Activity Report.

The day's other filings were dominated by permit cancellations and confidential status changes. Five permits were cancelled, led by Marathon Oil Company and True Oil LLC. Marathon cancelled two older permits, #24314 and #24315, for the HOPKINS USA wells in Dunn County. True Oil LLC cancelled two newer permits, #43216 and #43231, for SUPERIOR FEDERAL wells in McKenzie County. EOG Resources, Inc. also cancelled permit #29679 for its WEST CLARK well in McKenzie County.

On the confidential list, Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation had two wells advance: #41129 and #41358, both GULLIKSON wells in the Glass Bluff field of McKenzie County. Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC also had a well, #41991 in the White Earth field of Mountrail County, move to confidential status. In Divide County, a permit for KODA RESOURCES OPERATING, LLC's BOCK 21-1 SWD disposal well (#42684) was cancelled.

The only producing well completion reported was for XTO Energy Inc's KULCZYK 43X-17EXH in Williams County (#37223). The DMR report noted that no initial production (IP) test data was available for this well.

The filings underscore ongoing drilling and administrative activity in the western core of the Bakken, particularly in Divide, McKenzie, and Williams counties. The concentration of new permits from a single operator in a specific field often indicates development drilling on a multi-well pad, which is a common efficiency strategy in the play.