1 Nuevo Energy Co. , Houston, says its #1-21 Golden in Kern County, Calif., is a relatively shallow gas discovery that flowed at a rate of more than 1 million cu. ft. of gas per day before being shut in pending pipeline hookup. The well, in Section 21-29s-22e MD, was drilled to a total depth of 6,055 ft. It's about four miles from South Belridge and Elk Hills fields. Nuevo is the operator of the 30,000-acre area of mutual interest in which the find is located and holds an 86% interest in the well. 2 Denver-based San Joaquin Resources Inc. reports Phillips Petroleum Co. has started drilling the #31-29 Federal, Section 29-9s-19e, in Pannonian Energy Inc. 's Riverbend Project in Uintah County, Utah. This is the first obligation test of a joint venture agreed to between Phillips and Pannonian, which is under contract to become a wholly owned subsidiary of San Joaquin Resources. The #21-29 Federal is targeting gas production from the Tertiary Wasatch Formation at about 7,000 ft. and the deeper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group to a projected depth of 12,700 ft. On this test, San Joaquin Resources will have a 15% working interest in the Mesaverde Group and a 75% working interest in the Wasatch Formation. 3 Montana's Brorson Field in Richland County is the site of a Silurian Stonewall new-pay discovery completed by Headington Oil LP , Dallas, flowing 440 bbl. of oil and 200,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. The #12X-5 Dynneson, Section 5-23n-58e, is producing through perforations at 12,066-82 ft., reports IHS Energy Group. 4 A shallower-pool opener completed by Nance Petroleum Corp. in North Dakota's MonDak Field flowed 640 bbl. of oil and 458,000 cu. ft. of gas per day from Devonian Duperow. The McKenzie County producer-the #16-28X Federal in Section 28-148n-104w-was tested on a 17/64-in. choke through perforations at 11,258-68 ft. in the "Four Eyes" member of Duperow. Nance's parent company, Denver-based St. Mary Land & Exploration Co. , holds a 56.25 % interest in the discovery. 5 Belco Energy Corp. , New York City, recorded an initial flow of 233 bbl. of oil, 133,000 cu. ft. of gas and 82 bbl. of water per day at the #1-31H Dvorak, a horizontal stepout which revived production in Manning Field, Dunn County, N.D. The well, in Section 31-143n-95w, a half-mile southwest of the abandoned field opener, is producing from an openhole Sherwood "C" zone (Mississippian Mission Canyon-Madison) from 9,362 ft. to 13,944 ft. Belco holds a 100% working interest in the well. 6 The #H-12AH Beaver Lodge Madison Unit, a horizontal well in North Dakota's Beaver Lodge Field, yielded oil at an initial daily rate of 2,380 bbl. on pump, with 2.196 million cu. ft. of gas and 2,243 bbl. of water, on completion by Amerada Hess Corp. , New York City. The Madison well is producing from an openhole interval from 8,220 to 10,230 ft. It's in Section 1-155n-96w, Williams County. 7 Burlington Resources Inc. , Houston, says it has tested the fifth Deep Madison well, the 25,855-ft. #6-27 Bighorn, in Madden Field, Fremont County, Wyo. The well, in Section 27-39n-90w, was designed to further test the downdip limits of the field. Recent test results yielded minor quantities of water and gas and the well will not be completed as a producer in Madison. The company operates the well and holds a 49% working interest. BR estimates that previously determined gross reserves of 2.4 trillion cu. ft. for the Madison formation in the field may ultimately increase by as much as 300 billion to 600 billion cu. ft., although further evaluation of the technical data is required before additional reserves can be booked and a decision can be made regarding the final status of the well. The company intends to move to a two-rig development program by the end of June. BR notes it currently operates four wells producing from the deep Madison formation, each capable of gross production in excess of 50 million cu. ft. of gas per day. 8 The #1-AH Timber Draw Unit is a horizontal discovery completed by Americomm Resources Corp. , Tulsa, in Niobrara County, Wyo. Maxy Oil & Gas Inc. , Sugarland, Texas, reports the well flowed 345 bbl. of oil and 575,000 cu. ft. of gas per day on a 24/64-in. choke during the initial 72-hr. test period. A second 72-hr. test, taken on a 20/64-in. choke, resulted in a flow of 203 bbl. of oil and 525,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. Maxy Resources LLC , a wholly owned Wyoming subsidiary of Maxy Oil & Gas, currently has a 25% working interest in the Timber Draw Unit, which is part of the 100,000-acre Cheyenne River oil exploration prospect in Niobrara, Converse and Weston counties. The discovery, which is producing from a 2,030-ft. horizontal Newcastle (Lower Cretaceous Muddy) section between 8,548-10,578 ft., was drilled from a surface location in Section 15-39n-66w to a bottomhole location in Section 10. 9 Interest in Jonah Field and the surrounding area in Wyoming's Sublette County is far from waning, judging from the considerable number of successful wells completed recently and the amount of work going on in the area. Included in the completions are two high-volume Upper Cretaceous Lance gas wells drilled in the field by McMurry Oil Co. , Casper. IHS Energy Group reports the #10-35 Stud Horse Butte, Section 35-29n-108w, tested 12.515 million cu. ft. of gas and 245 bbl. of condensate per day from nine intervals between 8,977-10,836 ft. In Section 26-29n-108w, McMurry completed the #12-26 Stud Horse Butte flowing 11.481 million cu. ft. of gas and 150 bbl. of condensate from nine intervals between 8,778-11,051 ft. The company used an 18/64-in. choke to test both wells. Moving about four miles north of Jonah Field to Section 23-30n-108w, Ultra Resources Inc. , with offices in Englewood, Colo., has confirmed its opener of Warbonnet Field. The #15-23 Warbonnet produced 4.2 million cu. ft. of gas and 25 bbl. of condensate per day on a test taken in 11 of 17 stages completed to date in overpressured Lance. The remaining sands, which Ultra says appear to be the best sands on logs, are to be produced shortly. The 12,807-ft. well offsets to the southwest Ultra's field opener, the #9-23 Warbonnet, which was completed in 1998 flowing 844,000 cu. ft. of gas, 15 bbl. of condensate and 25 bbl. of water per day. 10 Tipperary Corp. , Denver, reports it recently completed the acquisition of approximately 68,000 net acres of undeveloped oil and gas leasehold in Moffat County, Colo. The leases were acquired for coalbed-methane exploration. However, it is believed that the acreage has the potential for conventional reserves as well. Tipperary's investment in the acreage to date is approximately $2.4 million. 11 BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. , Anchorage, says it has joined two other companies that are conducting the first-ever Alaska North Slope exploration aimed at natural gas. The unit of BP says it acquired a one-third interest in Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. 's exclusive agreement covering exploration on 3.1 million acres owned by Arctic Slope Regional Corp. , an Inupiat Eskimo group. In exchange, BP says, it will give Anadarko an interest in a satellite prospect near Prudhoe Bay and an interest in some of its seismic surveys conducted on the North Slope. BP also says it will buy a one-third interest in exploration rights to approximately 230,000 acres of state lands on the North Slope leased last November by Anadarko and Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. , Canada's top gas producer. Anadarko is the operator and each company holds a one-third interest in the joint program. The exploration territory is in the foothills area of the Brooks Range region, south of existing producing fields, and stretches east-west for approximately 250 miles from Colville River to Canning River. 12 BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. and Phillips Alaska Inc. will each spend more than $800 million in Alaska this year, reports IHS Energy Group. BP has increased its overall capital budget for 2001 by 25%. The budget will fund projects including Northstar, viscous oil, satellite field development and exploration. Phillips will spend its money developing viscous oil at West Sak and bringing on new satellite fields, such as Meltwater at Kuparuk and Borealis at Prudhoe Bay. Both company budgets provide for continuing development of existing fields. 13 Production, at a rate of 7,000 bbl. of oil per day from three wells, has begun at Aurora Field on the North Slope. Rates are expected to peak at 15,000 to 20,000 bbl. of oil daily as development continues. The field, which contains an estimated 30- to 45 million bbl. of recoverable oil in Kuparuk Sand, is owned by BP (the operator), Exxon Mobil , Phillips Alaska Inc. and Forest Oil Corp. .