The initial surge in activity was as much exploration (determining hotspots and limits in the overall play) as experimentation (finding out what works best), and to hold leases by production (single well on a 1280 acre spacing, as a rule).
Now we are going back and drilling additional Bakken and Three Forks wells in that same spacing.
Progress since we have started in production techniques including fracturing methods has improved extraction efficiency, and will likely continue to do so, so even wellbores which have been produced may end up being twinned.
There is ample room for over four times the number of wells already drilled, so even with increases in drilling efficiency I expect there is at least another 14 years left to finish the developmental drilling.
Thank you for your insights.
Off topic for a natural gas read, but do you see the Bakken more exposed to an oil price decline than Eagle Ford? Production cost estimates seem to use widely different methods.