Whiting Permits Three Wells in Foreman Butte; Hess Wells Declassified

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources approved three new drilling permits in the Bakken on Monday, all filed by Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation. Separately, four wells operated by Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC, were released from confidential status, according to the daily activity report.

All three new permits are for the Foreman Butte field in McKenzie County. The permits, numbered 43057, 43058, and 43059, are for the "Two Pence Federal 5102 43-32" well pad, located in Section 32 of Township 151 North, Range 102 West. Each permit is for a different well bore on the same pad: 2B, 3B, and 4B.

McKenzie County also saw activity related to confidential status changes. A well operated by Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C., the Forest 26-35 #1H in Section 26-152N-101W, was listed under additional information. Two Hess wells in McKenzie County, BW-IDA-149-101-1416H-3 and BW-IDA-149-101-1416H-5, both in Section 13-149N-101W, were also noted.

Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC, had four wells released from confidential status, a procedural step that typically follows the completion of initial production testing. Two of these wells are in Williams County: the GO-RAY-157-97-3321H-5 in Section 33-157N-97W and the BL-MORTENSON-LE-156-95-2234H-1 in the Beaver Lodge field, Section 15-156N-95W. The other two released wells are the aforementioned Hess wells in McKenzie County.

The day's filings confirm continued operator focus on core areas of the Bakken. Whiting's new permits are concentrated on a single pad in the prolific Foreman Butte area of McKenzie County. Hess's declassification of wells spans both McKenzie and Williams counties, indicating ongoing development and completion work across the basin.