Chord Energy’s 2025 drilling activity reinforces the company’s stated strategy of discipline, focus, and capital efficiency—not growth for growth’s sake.
In 2025, Chord drilled 147 wells, a level of activity that reflects a maintenance-style program rather than an aggressive expansion. This approach aligns with management’s view that, in a market still shaped by OPEC spare capacity and macro uncertainty, preserving inventory value and balance sheet strength matters more than chasing volumes.
Concentrated Where Chord Has an Edge
Drilling activity in 2025 was tightly concentrated in Chord’s core Bakken footprint:
- McKenzie County: 60 wells
- Dunn County: 40 wells
- Williams County: 37 wells
This concentration underscores Chord’s in-basin strategy—deploying capital where the company has deep subsurface knowledge, established infrastructure, and supply-chain leverage. Rather than spreading activity across fringe acreage, Chord continues to focus on areas where execution risk is lowest and returns are most repeatable.
A Tight, Repeatable Rig Program
The contractor and rig data further highlights Chord’s operational discipline:
- True 40: 33 wells
- Patterson 808: 27 wells
- Patterson 806: 24 wells
A small number of rigs account for a large portion of total wells drilled, pointing to a high-utilization, repeatable drilling program. This consistency supports Chord’s broader objective of drilling fewer wells more efficiently—an approach that becomes increasingly important as lateral lengths extend to three and four miles.
Steady Cadence, Not Spikes
When grouped by month, 2025 drilling activity shows a measured, steady cadence rather than sharp surges:
Activity remained relatively even throughout the year, with lighter periods in late summer and December. This pattern is consistent with Chord’s flexible contracting model, which allows the company to adjust pace without being locked into minimum drilling or midstream commitments.
Strategy in Practice
Taken together, the 2025 drilling data illustrates how Chord Energy’s strategy shows up in the field:
- Focused geography instead of basin sprawl
- Rig consistency instead of constant contractor churn
- Steady execution instead of boom-and-bust drilling cycles
The result is a development program designed to maximize capital efficiency, protect the balance sheet, and preserve long-term optionality—exactly the outcomes Chord has said it is targeting.
