Whiting Petroleum Corporation announced that approximately 5,400 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day of the Company's production was temporarily shut in or reduced due to power outages and other operating conditions. The primary cause of the curtailments was an ice storm in Texas County, Oklahoma on December 29, 2006 and freezing conditions at the Company's North Ward Estes Field in Ward and Winkler Counties, Texas earlier in December.

Approximately 4,500 BOE per day of the shut-in production was from Whiting's Postle Field and Dry Trail Gas Plant in Texas County, Oklahoma. Electric power was out from December 29, 2006 until January 4, 2007, at which time Whiting Oklahoma and Texas based personnel returned approximately two-thirds of the field to production through the use of 21 mobile electric generators. The local utility has not yet restored full power to the Postle Field but is expected to do so by January 31, 2007. Thereafter, approximately 4,500 BOE per day is again expected to be produced.

Approximately 760 BOE per day of the Company's reduced production was from the North Ward Estes Field, located in Ward and Winkler Counties, Texas. Several equipment upgrades were implemented and activities are again concentrated on water flood restoration and commencement of CO2 injection in the second quarter of 2007.

Other factors also contributed to lower fourth quarter production: weather-related oil trucking issues in North Dakota; a fire at a third-party facility on November 13, 2006 that restricted production from the Bridger Lake/Lucky Ditch Field in Uintah County, Wyoming; and, a large number of well workovers, which also impacted Whiting's lease operating expense during the quarter. Whiting has adjusted fourth quarter and full-year 2006 production guidance in this news release. Whiting will issue guidance for 2007 on February 27, 2007.