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BAKKEN WIRE
Seven New Drilling Permits Approved; Murex, Phoenix Lead Activity - Bakken Wire
Daily Activity

Seven New Drilling Permits Approved; Murex, Phoenix Lead Activity

North Dakota regulators approved permits for seven new horizontal wells and renewed four others in Thursday's filings.

Bakken Wire Staff·☀️Morning Wire·

North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources approved seven new drilling permits and renewed four others in its daily activity report for Thursday, August 20, 2026. The new permits were split between two operators, signaling continued development in core Bakken counties.

Operator Murex Petroleum Corporation received approval for three new wells in Williams County. The permits, #43232, #43233, and #43234, are for the MD-Rae Lynn 8-5H MB, MD-Sadie Skye 8-5H MB, and MD-Sarah Christine 8-5H MB wells, respectively. All three are located in Section 8-156N-95W within the Beaver Lodge field, according to the report.

Phoenix Operating LLC was approved for a four-well pad in McKenzie County. The permits, numbered #43235 through #43238, are for the Brenda 32-5-8-17 1H through 4H wells. All are located in Section 32-146N-98W in the Charlie Bob field.

The DMR also processed four permit renewals, all for proposed locations outside of their designated spacing units, which requires regulatory approval. Enerplus Resources USA Corporation renewed three permits in Dunn County's McGregory Buttes field. The permits are for the Cadence 148-93-18C-07H-TF (#36822), Tempo 148-93-18C-07H-TF (#36823), and Octave 148-93-18C-07H (#36824) wells, all in Section 18-148N-93W.

Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation secured a renewal for its Link 5001 11-18 2B well (#42196) in McKenzie County's Foreman Butte field. The well is located in Lot 1 of Section 18-150N-101W.

The report also listed three filings under "Additional Information," which typically notes confidential status changes or other administrative actions. Whiting Oil and Gas had two listings in McKenzie County's Glass Bluff field: the Dobias 5203 44-32 2B (#41158) in Section 32-152N-103W and the Gullikson Federal 5203 42-31 3B (#41357) in Section 31-152N-103W.

A third filing was for Murfin Drilling Company, Inc.'s CD Steffan 1-18H well (#42208) in Dunn County's Ukrainia field, located in Section 7-141N-97W.

The day's activity highlights ongoing drilling operations in the core Bakken production counties of McKenzie, Williams, and Dunn. Permit renewals for wells outside standard spacing units indicate operators are continuing to optimize well placement and field development strategies.

Source

North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Daily Activity Report for August 20, 2026.

dmrdrilling permitsmurex petroleumphoenix operatingenerpluswhiting oil and gasmckenzie countywilliams countydunn county

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