west pony comprehensive area plan

The West Pony Comprehensive Area Plan (CAP) provides an opportunity to modernize and significantly reduce the footprint of future development in Weld County.

In 2021, Noble received approval and designated operatorship from the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC), over the West Pony Unit lands, comprised of approximately 17,479 acres.

In 2024, Noble submitted an application to the ECMC to establish the West Pony CAP covering approximately 20,749 acres. The West Pony CAP overlays the West Pony Unit lands and encompasses an additional 3,200-acres of land beyond the West Pony Unit.

For residents in this area, potential benefits of comprehensive development like the West Pony CAP includes modernized tankless production facilities, and pipeline takeaway for oil, gas, and water.

As part of the West Pony CAP development, approximately 11 legacy wells and facilities will be plugged and reclaimed. The plugging and removal of the legacy sites will include the removal of associated surface equipment and tanks, and the reclamation of the surface lands. Plugging and removing these wells and associated tanks and surface equipment will reduce surface impacts and the associated air emissions including carbon dioxide, VOCs and NOx.

There are also additional benefits from comprehensive area planning:

• Tankless development: All fluids (oil, natural gas and produced water) will be transported by pipeline infrastructure rather than stored onsite and/or trucked offsite. Tankless operations avoid the methane emissions associated with that type of facility.
• Eliminated truck trips and air emissions associated with product hauling.
• Water Use: Recycle flowback and produced water to the extent practicable, thereby reducing the amount of freshwater that is needed for well construction and completions.

• On January 23, 2025, Weld County approved the 1041 Weld Oil and Gas Location Assessment (WOGLA) for the comprehensive development covering the lands within the area covered by the West Pony CAP application.
• The first Oil and Gas Development Plan (OGDP) application in the West Pony CAP, known as the “WP1 OGDP” was submitted contemporaneously with the West Pony CAP application. The WP1 OGDP covers 16,251.83 acres of the 20,749.96-acre West Pony CAP. The WP1 OGDP requests approval for six new Oil and Gas Locations for development of up to 133 horizontal wells. The second OGDP in the West Pony CAP or the WP-2 OGDP will be filed at a later date.
• All construction activities within High Priority Habitats (HPH) will be scheduled between May 1^st and December 31^st.
• Noble is requesting that the term of the West Pony CAP be adopted consistent with the initial term of the approved West Pony Unit, being July 14, 2031.
• Pipeline construction is scheduled to begin 3-12 months before well completions commence and are scheduled to conclude prior to the end of well completions conducted on the first well pad producing to the facility. Noble is currently working to secure the necessary rights-of-way for pipeline infrastructure.
• Interim reclamation is estimated to take approximately 60 days, starting 3 months following the end of pre-production operations in cropland and 6 months on non-cropland. Final reclamation follows a similar timeline with additional timing for plugging, abandoning, and facility decommissioning.

The West Pony CAP overlays the West Pony Unit lands that were approved by ECMC on July 14, 2021. Due to the opportunity to consolidate locations and reduce surface footprints, the West Pony CAP extends beyond the boundaries of the West Pony Units.

Across the West Pony CAP, Noble has sited locations and consolidated original designs to reduce potential impacts on nearby areas and wildlife.

• There are no residences within 2,000 feet of the Working Pad Surfaces of the planned West Pony CAP locations.
• Original plans to develop the West Pony Unit’s 17,479.96 acres have evolved to produce the entire 20,749.63-acre CAP area from at most 8 locations.
• Inclusion of the additional 3,200 acres allows for consolidation of locations increases efficiency and results in the increased recovery of oil and natural gas with less potential for impacts.