Acreage

Whiting Petroleum Corp. is building its presence in the Williston Basin by purchasing some acreage in North Dakota and Montana, the Denver-based operator said Tuesday.

Risk-taker and rule-breaker Aubrey McClendon, who co-founded Chesapeake Energy Corp. and then retired on April 1, appears to be making a comeback in the U.S. exploration and production (E&P) arena, with one of his start-ups apparently buying one or two leaseholds in the Utica Shale, sources toldNGI.

Vancouver, BC-based East West Petroleum Corp., an independent exploration/production (E&P) company, said Monday it has expanded its position in the southern San Joaquin Basin, about 20 miles south of Bakersfield, CA. It is one of three separate areas in the region where the company is active, including part of the Monterey Shale play.

Nearly one year after it started looking for buyers for some of its acreage in Ohio’s Utica Shale, EV Energy Partners LP (EVEP) and its partnerships have made their first sale, agreeing to part with 22,535 net acres in the wet gas window for $284.3 million, the company said Friday.

Strong growth in oil production — especially in the Permian Basin — propelled Devon Energy Corp. to record the highest average daily production rate in its history during the second quarter of 2013, as the company also saw positive test results in the Woodford Shale.

Denver-based Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. has completed its acquisition of 42,000 net acres and associated production in North Dakota’s Williston Basin for $660 million in cash from Liberty Resources LLC. The deal included core Bakken and Three Forks producing properties in addition to undeveloped leaseholds.

Production of oil, natural gas and condensate continues trending upward in the Eagle Ford Shale, according to Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) data. During the first four months of this year, daily oil production surpassed that seen in 2012 and daily production of natural gas nearly met the 2012 level.

Talisman Energy Inc. is shopping its Eagle Ford Shale acreage with hopes of raising up to US$2 billion, according to a Reuters report that cited unnamed sources.

WPX Energy Inc. plans to deploy two more drilling rigs to the five now running in Western Colorado’s Piceance Basin, which should add an incremental 1.9 Bcfe in natural gas-weighted output through the rest of this year, the Tulsa operator said Wednesday.