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  • Growth Likely in Niobrara Rig Count

    Expect a big uptick in the liquids-rich Niobrara play, says The Unconventional Drilling Report. By 4Q 2013, Noble is likely to have 10 Niobrara horizontal rigs active in the DJ Basin’s Wattenberg field vs. 5 today, and Anadarko expects to have 7 Niobrara horizontal rigs running in the field by yearend 2012 vs. 4 at present. Only one Niobrara rig is active in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, in Goshen County, although Niobrara activity has also occurred in Laramie and Platte counties. About 200 permits have been issued in the three Wyoming counties. Anadarko will probe Niobrara potential in the DJ outside Wattenberg and in the PRB, and Noble will target Niobrara pay in southeastern Wyoming. Chesapeake will jump its rig count in the two basins from 10 to 20 by yearend 2012. Next year will prove the tipping point on whether the Niobrara has Eagle Ford breakout potential. The Niobrara has been slow to firm up in Wyoming, where the geology is more complex. But, overall, healthy growth is likely in the Niobrara rig count over the next several years.

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