Barrett Plans Sideways Wildcat In Natrona County, Wyoming

First Horizontal Niobrara Test In Wind River Basin

Denver-based Bill Barrett Corp. (Barrett) is planning to drill a horizontal Niobrara wildcat some 45 miles west of Casper, along the southeast flank of Wyoming’s Wind River Basin. Spotting on the southwestern edge of Wallace Creek Field, Barrett is planning to drill the NMGU #11-H-29-34-87, nw-nw 29-34n-87w. Bottom-hole location for the wildcat will be in the sw-se 29-34n-87w. Estimated true vertical depth will be approximately 8,235’, with a true measured depth of 5,000’. The permit for this well—the first-ever horizontal Niobrara test to be drilled in the Wind River Basin—is waiting on state approval.

Location of this significant wildcat is roughly 2 miles east of Lower Cretaceous Muddy production at Wallace Creek Field. Operated by Unit Petroleum, the Wallace Creek Fee #1, se-se 21-34n-87w, was completed flowing 20 bopd and 6.2 mmcfg from the vertical Muddy near 10,000’. After first going on-line in 1990, this well has cumulated more than 12 k bo and 1.8 bcfg. Log tops of this venture include the Raderville at 6,807’, Niobrara at 7,280’, Third Frontier at 9,454’, Muddy at 9,970’, Dakota at 10,086’, and the Morrison came in at 10,238’ under a KB elevation of 6,127’.

Other exploration to occur near the proposed bottom-hole location includes a failure by Hunt Oil at the Murphy Creek Unit #1, ne-sw 33-34n-87w. This 9,300’ wildcat was drilled to the Thermopolis and was abandoned in 1988 with no significant shows reported. Another test in this immediate area was drilled by Casper-based True Oil at the Twidale #41-33, ne-ne 33-34n-87w. Bottoming in the Jurassic Nugget at a depth of 10,349’, only minor shows were reported in the Upper Cretaceous prior to abandonment in 1972.

Wallace Creek Field, the closest established production to the new Barrett exploration, was discovered in 1960 and has cumulated more than 836 k bo and 26.9 bcfg from the Lance, Meteetse, Muddy, Shannon, and Raderville. This field is described as a stratigraphic-type trap associated with discontinuous channel-type deposits. Barrett is the primary operator of this reservoir, with no fewer than 15 active producers located several miles northeast of the company’s proposed Niobrara wildcat.

Barrett is a very active operator within the Wind River Basin. During 2010, the firm was ranked as the fourth-largest gas producer in this basin, having reported production of 4.4 bcfg. Should Barrett establish commercial horizontal Niobrara production in the Wind River Basin, the ramifications could be huge. It will be interesting to see the end result of this prospect.