A Houston-based oil company plans to spend as much as $130 million for oil-and-gas exploration in the Elko area and sees potential production of as much as 50,000 barrels a day from the region.Noble Energy Inc. executives say they view northeastern Nevada as a high-risk region with potentially game-changing implications.Susan Cunningham, Noble's senior vice president for exploration and business innovation, said last week the company thinks it has a 55 percent chance of success in discovering oil and gas in the area.Noble has acquired leases on 350,000 acres in northeast Nevada. The leases cover a swath of land that runs …