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EOG Pushes Parshall Field Nine Miles North
Mountrail County, North Dakota


EOG Resources (EOG) continues to experience success in North Dakota’s Bakken play within Mountrail County. At the recently held North Dakota hearings, the company requested temporary spacing on the #1-02H Austin sw-se 2-154n-90w, a large volume horizontal Bakken producer that scales about nine miles north of Parshall Field.

According to reservoir data submitted to the state, EOG believes that the #1-02H Austin well is a northern extension to Parshall Field, and has requested that the field outline be expanded to include the #1-02H and other wells that are being completed or drilled within the same vicinity. Parshall Field, which locates in 152-153n, 89-90w, is the largest Bakken oil pool found to date in the state. Latest production figures show that the field is currently averaging over a quarter of a million barrels of oil per month from 18 wells.

What is important about the data released by the company is that based on cross sections conducted by EOG, the company believes that that oil being produced from the #1-02H Austin is coming from the same reservoir that is producing south at Parshall Field, and as a result has proposed increasing the boundaries of Parshall Field substantially. Maps provided to the state indicate that EOG thinks that Parshall Field may now encompass some 129 sections, or 82,560 acres. Assuming that each section has recoverable reserves of 736 mbo, this would indicate a possible oil field with over 94 million barrels of recoverable crude. Of course this might be optimistic as every section would need to be drilled, but it is unknown how far north this Bakken trend may extend. EOG hopes to find out and is currently drilling a test about six miles northeast of the #1-02H Austin at the McAlmond #1-05H sw-se 5-155n-89w. No information has been released on this confidential hole.

EOG is not wasting any time in exploiting the area around the #1-02H Austin producer and is testing their first stepout at the Austin #2-03H sw-se 3-154n-90w. Reportedly this well’s production will be similar to the #1-02H. The company is also testing the Austin #4-09H nw-nw 9-154n-90w and the Austin #8-26H nw-nw 26-1545n-90w. Both of these prospects are rumored to have the same reservoir characteristics as the #1-02H. EOG also recently staked three more wells in this area that include the Austin #5-14H sw-se 14-154n-90w, Austin #6-15H sw-se 15-154n-90w and Austin #7-23H ne-nw 23-154n-90w. No activity has been reported at any of these horizontal ventures. 

Another company who has shown up in this immediate area is Whiting Oil and Gas (WOG), a company who is very active west of Parshall Field. WOG plans to drill the Lee State #44-16H se-se 16-154n-90w. This single lateral test will have a true vertical depth of 9,578